30 April, 2015Unions in Nepal are appealing for solidarity support following Saturday’s devastating earthquake in the country, which has claimed the lives of nearly 5,500 people and injured thousands more.

The General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) has set up a relief fund to help people on the ground. It is the worst earthquake to hit the country for 80 years.

GEFONT has spent the week mobilizing people to rescue victims from the rubble. It will use aid to focus on immediate relief for the countless men, women and children who have lost their homes by providing temporary shelter, clothing and food.

GEFONT will then focus on reconstruction and resettlement, employing resources nationally and internationally to support its members, working people as well as the general population.

IndustriALL, which has nine affiliates in Nepal, joins the ITUC’s call for a huge international aid effort. General secretary Jyrki Raina said:

“Our hearts go out to the families of victims and the thousands of people who have lost their loved ones and now struggle for survival without food and shelter. We applaud unions’ drive to help the people of Nepal and the global solidarity already shown by many trade union organizations abroad.”

Unions in Nepal have cancelled May Day festivities and will be holding a candle-lit vigil for the thousands of people who have perished in the devastating earthquake that hit the mountainous country on 25 April.

GEFONT president Bishnu Rimal said:

"This year Nepali unions will not celebrate May Day, we will mourn in the name of dead beloved ones, wish for the speedy recovery of injured people and express our solidarity with the families of victims. We will also pay tribute to those who were killed by the Everest avalanche.”

GEFONT’s finance secretary Gunaram Acharya is in a serious condition having sustained serious injuries after being caught in a landslide.

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