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Activities:

• Safeguarding Democracy and Trade Union Rights: The main purpose of FIEUN is to protect and safeguard trade union rights. In this regard, it is involved in creating awareness about the importance and necessity of trade union movement among employees and organizing them. In addition to this, it’s been playing a vital role to protect and develop democracy particularly when it is under threat.
• Protecting and Developing Professional Rights and Welfare: FIEUN’s another concern is to protect and develop professional rights and welfare of the employees. As an effort to this end, it intervenes, as and when necessary, in policy making and gets involved with government and concerned bodies in terms of increasing different benefits for the employees.
• Increasing Productivity: It is not focused only on the welfare of the employees but also on the development and productivity of enterprises. It raises voice against the discrepancies in the financial sector and, if necessary, exerts pressure on the government and concerned bodies. It provides opportunities to its member employees to participate at national and international level trainings, workshops, seminars etc. to acquire knowledge and develop professional skills so that they can contribute to increasing the productivity of their respective enterprises.
• FIEUN Day: Every year on 22nd Chaitra, it observes FIEUN Day by organizing various creative programs to mark its anniversary.
• Training Programs: Every year, it conducts different trainings for its members in current challenges, issues and threats facing financial sector with the assistance of NTUC, UNI, FES and SASK etc.
• Organizing: It has adopted the strategy to expand the organization by bringing together both organized and unorganized employees from private sector banks, insurance companies, cooperatives and other financial institutions.
•  Publication: Every year it publishes a calendar. Also it publishes a yearly souvenir magazine “Bittiya Darpan” featuring its annual activities and a quarterly “Bittiya Darpan Bulletin” including trade union education, national and international trade union activities.
• Membership Database: It has its own membership database due to which record keeping and updating has been easier.
• Skill-oriented Trainings: It involves its members in computer software training and English language class being offered by UNI Nepal. Besides this, it conducts Advanced Level Computer Course to meet its banking sector members’ professional requirements.

Threats

It has following threats:

• Political volatility and impact of long term conflict
• Narrowness in organized sector due to the deregulation in labor market
• Management’s anti-union policy
• Outsourcing and contract system
• Downsizing of employees by means of Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) and Compulsory Retirement Scheme (CRS)
• Privatization, Liquidation and contract based Management in public enterprises
• Taxation on provident fund which is against social security
• Private sector’s anti union approach
• Possible impact of upcoming state restructuring on trade union act and regulation
• High competition accelerated by New Technologies and its impact on employment

Solutions

• Unity being the strength, focus on unified trade union movement
• Focus on trade union education and organizing
• Establishment of good industrial relations for productivity
• Constitutional guarantee for trade union rights
• Trade union representation in policy making and entities like Constitutional Assembly among others
• Focus on training for professional knowledge and skills

Identified Sectors for Organizing

• Multi-national banks, insurance companies and financial institutions
• Joint venture banks, insurance companies and financial institutions
• Private sector banks, insurance companies and financial institutions
• Finance companies and Cooperatives
• Share market and others

Conclusion

The role it played for restoration of democracy during Jana Andolan-2 (People Movement) despite the suppression of the then government, armed conflict and political instability is considerably praiseworthy. Additionally, its contribution to protecting rights of finance sector employees and their welfare is encouraging. To make this achievement long lasting, it is necessary to make the union more competent and transparent. On one hand, we have challenges to win the heart of our colleagues through constructive and social activities and, on the other hand; we need to get rid of being financially dependant on others and stand on our own feet. For this we need and seek our colleagues’ support and commitment. In addition to this, we need to organize those employees who are deprived of trade union rights. This way we can make FIEUN as a powerful and competent union in finance sector. To achieve this goal, we highly expect our colleagues’ full support and dedication in the days ahead as in the past.