KATHMANDU: The government has abolished the provision allowing civil servants to form party-affiliated trade unions.

The decision comes through an ordinance issued by President Ramchandra Paudel, amending several existing laws. It removes clauses in the Civil Service Act, 1992 that previously allowed union formation, membership, registration, and collective bargaining.

Provisions related to official union representation and employees’ rights to raise professional demands have also been deleted.

The ordinance further eliminates a section dealing with grievance handling for civil servants, consolidating those mechanisms elsewhere.

The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration had earlier proposed removing political trade unions, aiming to ensure a politically neutral civil service and restrict employees from engaging in political activities.

Trade union leaders have criticized the move, calling it objectionable and urging the government to reverse the decision.