While the 136th International Labour Day is being celebrated across the country, 41-year-old Dil Bahadur Thapa has been waiting in the hope of getting porter work. It has been over 25 years since he started working as a porter in Tansen, but Labour Day has never meant anything to him. Dil Bahadur, of Saathikol, Purbakhola Rural Municipality–2, who has been working as a porter in Tansen, shared that he has never felt the significance of Labour Day. While various formal and informal programs were held throughout the district on the occasion, his day passed as usual: carrying loads. He mentioned that he earns between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 a day through porter work, which barely covers his daily needs, and on days when he doesn’t get work or is unable to work, even managing a meal becomes difficult.
Indra Bahadur Kumal, 48, from Jogithum, Ribdikot Rural Municipality–1, who has been working as a porter in Tansen for the past 20 years, also spent the day as usual. He neither knew about Labour Day nor was anyone informed. Although the government had declared a public holiday, he was preoccupied with worries about how to manage his evening meal. He said that his whole day went by searching for work, just like always and he had no idea about the Day. He added that while he manages to survive by carrying loads for now, he constantly worries about how he will make ends meet in old age.
There are more than 50 individuals in Tansen who make a living through porter work. Such days and programs have never reached them. Rajesh Shahi, a journalist based in Tansen who has been working in the media for the past 15 years, stated that the government has never truly understood the struggles and hardships of poor and distressed workers. International Labour Day is observed every year on May 1 to affirm the professional dignity, respect, and rights of workers. The day commemorates the labor movement that began in Chicago, USA, on May 1, 1886, under the slogan ” Eight hours work, eight hours recreation, and eight hours rest”. In Nepal, the day was first celebrated in 1962 BS by the Nepal Mazdoor Sangh. The government has also declared a public holiday on this occasion.