Nepal

Organization responsible for the statistics

The statistics are collected and compiled by the Department of Labour. They are not published.

Objectives and users

Not available.

Coverage

Strikes and lockouts

The statistics cover: Sympathetic strikes, political or protest strikes, rotating or revolving strikes, go-slows, overtime bans and sit-ins are not included.

Minimum threshold None.

Economic activities

Construction workers are not covered. Industries not coming under the purview of the Factories Act, e.g. certain commercial establishments, are not included.

Workers

Workers directly involved only. As well as regular paid employees, including part-time workers, the statistics cover temporary, casual and seasonal workers, workers laid off and workers absent on sick or annual leave, but not unpaid family workers.

No particular occupational groups are excluded.

Geographic areas

Whole country.

Other

Establishments employing less than ten workers are not included, as these are not covered under the Labour Act, 1992.

Types of data collected

Concepts and definitions

Strike

A work stoppage initiated by workers as a result of a failure in negotiations between the two sides and the expiry of the 30-day period of ultimatum by the workers in submitting the charter of demands.

Lockout

A work stoppage which may be declared by the employer with government approval if workers go on strike without giving advance notice or as a result of a failure in negotiations between the two parties. A lockout may also be declared without government approval if there is a gherao, rioting or any other type of destructive activities by workers during the course of a strike.

These are working definitions for statistical purposes. The Nepal Factory and Factory Workers Act provides no specific definitions.

Methods of measurement

Strikes and lockouts

The basic unit of measurement used to record a strike or lockout is the case of dispute and the economic unit (the establishment). A strike or lockout that is interrupted but later resumes, still due to the same case of dispute, is counted as a new strike or lockout when it resumes.

Work stoppages arising from the same case of dispute, occurring simultaneously in various local workplaces of the same establishment, are counted as a single strike or lockout. Those arising from the same case of dispute, occurring at different times in local workplaces of the same establishment, are counted as separate strikes or lockouts. Those resulting from the same case of dispute, occurring either simultaneously or at different times in local workplaces of different firms or establishments are counted as separate strikes or lockouts.

Economic units involved

The economic unit is the establishment or enterprise. The economic unit is defined for manufacturing industries and specified tourism industries as any organization or group or organizations established under the prevailing laws with an objective of earning profit. In the Labour Act, 1992, the establishment is defined as any factory, or organization, institution or firm or groups thereof, established under existing law, employing 10 or more workers.

Workers involved

The number of workers involved is counted as the total employment in the economic units involved. Part-time workers are counted as individuals on the same basis as full-time workers.

Duration

The duration is measured in calendar days from the date on which the action began to the date it terminated in the economic unit involved.

Time not worked

Total time not worked, in terms of workdays, may be measured as the product of the number of workers involved and the duration, or by ascertaining the total amount of time not worked on each day of the strike or lockout and summing these totals, or by another method. The shorter working hours of part-time workers are not taken into account, nor is overtime.

Classifications

None.

Reference period and periodicity

The statistics are compiled for periods of a year. They refer to strikes and lockouts beginning during the particular reference period plus those continuing from the previous period.

Analytical measures

None.

Historical background of the series

Not available.

Documentation

Series available

Not available.

Bibliographic references

None.

Data supplied to the ILO for publication

The number of strikes and lockouts, by economic activity.

Confidentiality

Not available.

International standards

Not available.

Methods of data collection

There is a legal obligation for workers to notify the Department of Labour, the local labour office and the local administrative office before they go on strike, according to the provisions of the Labour Act, 1992. Following a breakdown in negotiations between the workers and the employer, workers can submit a charter of demands to management, with notification to the Department of Labour, giving a 30-day time limit to settle. A strike may ensue at the expiry of this period if no settlement is reached. The Department is thus forewarned of possible strike action.

Generally, information on strikes not complying with the legal provisions are obtained from employers and workers.

Employers are required to obtain government approval in order to declare a lockout under certain circumstances, i.e. if workers go on strike without giving advance notice or as a result of a breakdown of negotiations with workers. Employers may also declare a lockout without government approval if there is a gherao, rioting or any other type of destructive activity by workers during the course of a strike. In such cases, the employer is required to inform the local labour office and the Department of Labour, along with the justification for the action.