Labor Office Inspects Frontline Hospital Over Worker Wages and Social Security Compliance

Kathmandu. A team dispatched from the Ministry of Youth, Labor and Employment, Singhdarbar and the Labor and Employment Office, Teku, under the Department of Labor and Occupational Safety, has monitored frontline hospitals in Kathmandu regarding workers' wages and service facilities. This step has been taken to ensure the rights and interests of workers employed in essential sectors like hospitals as part of the regular monitoring process of the Nepal government.

During the monitoring, a team including a representative from the secretariat of the Minister of Youth, Labor and Employment, Ramji Yadav, and Factory Inspector Vivek Yadav from the Labor Office, studied documents including the status of minimum wages of hospital employees. 

In the process, it was found that the hospital has implemented the government-set minimum wage standards, but the enrollment of workers in the Social Security Fund is very low. The hospital administration informed that the enrollment is low due to some policy ambiguities regarding the age limit of 60 years for employees and the process of withdrawing funds. However, employees have complained that the hospital administration only gave assurances of depositing money in the fund but did not deposit it. 

The Labor Office has directed the hospital to improve the shortcomings observed during the monitoring and to enroll all employees in the Social Security Fund immediately, submitting proof within seven days. 

The office has also requested the hospital to submit a 10-point detail. This includes the list of all workers and trainees, details of wages, service facilities, and Social Security Fund deposits for the month of Baishakh 2083, the hospital's employee service regulations, and details of safety and health policies.

According to Factory Inspector Vivek Yadav of the Labor Office, the monitoring was initiated to address complaints regarding the compulsion to work overtime in the hospital sector and the facilities for the same.

He stated that the state aims to continue monitoring in all establishments sector-wise in the coming days and ensure the legal rights of workers. The monitoring team also gave verbal instructions for immediate improvement, and further legal instructions will be given upon receipt of evidence.