KATHMANDU: In a significant escalation of a nationwide movement, Nepal’s Gen Z protesters have launched a direct backlash against civil servants affiliated with political parties. The outrage, fuelled by a widespread perception that government employees are misappropriating public resources for partisan gain, has led to the vandalism and arson of offices belonging to civil servant organizations linked to nearly every major political party.

Indeed, civil servants, teachers, professors, healthcare workers, and engineers in Nepal have long been involved in political activities through their party-affiliated organizations. These groups often abandon their duties to protest in the streets and halt public services to advance their own interests, all while using government benefits. They justify their actions by claiming their right to form trade unions.

From April 2, 2025, teachers across the country closed schools and demonstrated in Kathmandu for nearly a month. They insisted they would not leave the streets until a favorable education act was passed. Their demands were not just for the government; they also negotiated with Ammar Bahadur Thapa, the then Chairman of the Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee of the dissolved House of Representatives, and the then-Chief Whips of the then-ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), commonly known as CPN (UML), Mahesh Bartaula, and the Nepali Congress, Shyam Kumar Ghimire.

After reaching an agreement with the major political party whips and the Education Committee chairman for a new act to be passed by June 29, 2025, the teachers ended their protest with a nine-point agreement with the government.

The role of politically affiliated teacher organizations was crucial in enabling this non-parliamentary action, which went against the practice of lawmakers making laws through thorough deliberation. As a coincidence, the then-Education Minister, Raghuji Pant, who had been calling for the Prime Minister to take action against party-affiliated trade unions, and Chief Whips Bartaula and Ghimire, along with Chairman Thapa, who also argued against such unions, were forced to yield to these very same organizations.

Hardly had the teachers’ protest concluded when civil servant organizations threatened to take to the streets if their demands were not addressed. This warning came amidst fears that an amendment to the law might prevent government-salaried civil servants from joining political party affiliates. The organizations lobbied from parliamentary committees to the prime minister. As predicted, on May 16, 2025, the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the House of Representatives passed the Federal Civil Service bill, continuing the right to form trade unions. The bill now awaits being passed into law.

CPN-UML-aligned Nepal Government Employees’ Organization office in Babarmahal damaged during Gen Z protests. Photo: Gopal Dahal/Nepal News.

These events over the last two months show that party-affiliated organizations of government employees and teachers, who receive salaries and allowances from the party-affiliated organization, are more powerful than the government itself. A large number of civil servants, teachers, professors, healthcare workers, and engineers, whose salaries and benefits are paid from citizens’ taxes, are affiliated with political parties. Nepal News collected data by contacting these party-affiliated organizations and found that at least 488,183 government employees and beneficiaries nationwide are affiliated with political parties. Of these, civil servants number around 133,753, teachers 292,700, professors 18,800, healthcare workers 40,257, and engineers 2,673.

Leaders undermining public servants

According to data from the Department of National Personnel Records (Civil), there are currently around 150,000 civil servants nationwide, including 86,000 permanent and 60,000 temporary staff. Similarly, the report highlights that most civil servants are affiliated with the CPN (UML)-affiliated Nepal Government Employees’ Organization.

Additionally, other active organizations include the Nepali Congress-affiliated Nepal Civil Service Employees Union, the Maoist Center-affiliated National Employee’s Organization of Nepal, the CPN (Unified Socialist)-affiliated Unified Government Employees Organization, the Madhesi employees’ Madhesi Civil Servants’ Forum, and the Nepal National Independent Employees’ Organization, which broke away from the Unified Socialist party. The total count from all organizations exceeds 135,000.

In the official trade union election held on June 2, 2019, some 49,095 of the 55,329 eligible voters participated. The UML-affiliated organization received 21,127 votes, the Congress-affiliated received 16,259 votes, and the Maoist-affiliated received 5,029 votes. The Madhesi Civil Servants’ Forum received 3,561 votes but failed to cross the threshold.

The official trade union election, which has a four-year term, was held nine years ago, and no other election has been held since. The official trade union election allows voting for an organization, not for individuals. According to the official trade union’s website, civil servants in Nepal began to organize in 1950. After the political change in 1990, various employee organizations began to emerge. The contact diary of the UML-affiliated civil servants’ organization, published in 2022, states that the organization was established on April 20, 1990. It was founded the day after the first government was formed following the restoration of democracy. At that time, there was only one organization for employees.

However, when UML-affiliated employees started to dominate the organization, Congress-affiliated employees split and formed the affiliated Nepal Civil Service Employees Union. A lawsuit was even filed in court regarding this matter. On March 14, 1995, the Supreme Court ruled that the association was not properly formed. When the cabinet of then-Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba approved the registration of the association on November 5, 1995, the organization went to court again. On August 16, 2001, the full bench of the Supreme Court ruled that the organization was the only legitimate body, which temporarily settled the dispute.

On April 12, 2006, the seven political parties protesting against the autocratic actions of then-King Gyanendra Shah issued a joint statement calling for all class organizations, including employees, teachers, and professors, to participate in the movement. Those who made the appeal were then-Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala, UML Acting General Secretary Amrit Kumar Bohara, Nepali Congress (Democratic) President Sher Bahadur Deuba, Janamorcha Nepal President Amik Sherchan, Nepal Majdoor Kisan Party President Narayan Man Bijukchhe, Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Aanandi Devi) Vice President Bharat Bimal Yadav, and Joint Left Front President Prabhu Narayan Chaudhary.

That appeal from the leaders became a “bargaining” opportunity for the employees. The employee trade unions participated in the movement on the condition of receiving more rights. After the Peoples’ Movement II was successful and the House of Representatives was restored on April 24, 2006, Parliament directed the government on May 11, 2006, to make immediate legal provisions for trade union rights. The proposal was made by then UML MP Pradeep Gyawali and supported by then Nepali Congress MPs Ram Bahadur Bishta and Mohan Bahadur Basnet.

On April 12, 2006, the seven political parties protesting against the autocratic actions of then-King Gyanendra Shah issued a joint statement calling for all class organizations, including employees, teachers, and professors, to participate in the movement.

After gaining the right to form trade unions, party-affiliated employee organizations began to proliferate in Nepal. These organizations include everyone from office assistants to branch officers. They have used protests to increase their influence and pressure on the government. On June 24, 2007, Ram Chandra Paudel, who was the coordinator of the government negotiation team and the Minister for Peace and Reconstruction, signed a five-point agreement with the acting leaders of three employee organizations to change a bill in Parliament and raise workers’ salaries.

In this way, political parties and employees have used each other for their own benefit. The employees, corrupted by the leaders, have now reached a state where they do not even obey the government. Former Minister of General Administration Lal Babu Pandit mentions in his autobiography, ‘Singha Durbar Badalne Sangharsha,’ that civil servant trade union leaders pressured him for employee transfers. He writes in the book, “Civil service organizations behaved as if they were going to split the ministry. Security had to be arranged at the ministry.”

Section 44 of the Civil Service Act, 1993, clearly states that civil servants should not participate in politics. Furthermore, Section 12 of the Civil Service Code of Conduct, 2009, makes it even clearer that civil servants are prohibited from expressing opinions in support of or against any political party, its affiliated organizations, or any party leader, and are even prohibited from influencing others.

Article 34(3) of the Constitution grants every worker the right to form trade unions as per the law. While the Civil Service Act and regulations allow employees to form trade unions, they do not mention party-affiliated trade unions anywhere. Employees, however, claim they established their trade unions using these very constitutional and legal provisions. Bhawani Neupane Dahal, president of the UML-affiliated Nepal Civil Servants’ Organization, says, “We are not party-affiliated organizations. Our statute does not mention party affiliation. Organizations have been established on the basis of ideas and faith.”

Currently, party-affiliated employee organizations are operating their offices in buildings built on government land around Singha Durbar. During Jhala Nath Khanal’s premiership, the cabinet meeting on June 15, 2011, decided to provide government land to national-level trade unions.

Based on this, the UML-affiliated organization was given land in front of the southern gate of Singha Durbar, and the Congress-affiliated union and the Madhesi civil servants’ forum were given one ropani of land in Babarmahal. Around 2014–2015, then-Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai continued the previous government’s decision and provided seven aana of land to the Maoist-affiliated organization in front of the southern gate of Singha Darbar. At this time, the CPN (Unified Socialist)-affiliated employees’ organization was provided a building by the then Department of Building and Department of Urban Development and Building Construction at present.

Photo: Bikram Rai/Nepal News

Some of these buildings provided by the government have been rented out by employee organizations. The Madhesi Civil Servants’ Forum building is now the office of Mahanta Thakur’s Loktantrik Samajwadi Party. Not only this, but the government has given party-affiliated employee organizations Rs 500,000 for convention expenses and has allowed five employees to work for the organization while on the payroll of the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration.

Rule 117(a), Sub-rule 2 of the Civil Service Regulations, 1993, states that to be recognized as a national-level trade union, an organization must have at least 20 district committees and submit the signatures of 5,000 members. Organizations established by fulfilling these legal requirements do not mention party affiliation in their statutes. However, their programs and behavior clearly demonstrate their close ties to the parties. Gopal Prasad Pokharel, former president of the Congress-affiliated employees’ union, retired from his job as a revenue officer on April 28, 2025. His plan is to become active in the party. He says, “I have been an active member for 28 years. If the party gives me responsibility, I will take it on.”

Most of the employees affiliated with these organizations are at officer levels. The involvement of officers and lower-level employees is less common. However, their influence extends to ministers and even the prime minister. These organizations provide financial support to political parties for elections and various campaigns. Whichever party’s minister is appointed to the then Ministry of Local Development, that party’s employee organization has a major role in manipulating transfers. Leaders of these organizations lobby within their parties for the transfer of chief district officers and to have secretaries and chief secretaries appointed.

For example, when the then Ministry of General Administration was assigned to the CPN (Unified Socialist), the party entrusted Rajendra Pandey with the responsibility of overseeing employees. At that time, it was rumored that money was being collected for transfers and promotions. Sharan Kumar Gurung, who left the Unified Socialist-affiliated employee organization and is now the president of the Nepal Government Employees’ Organization, admits there is some truth to this. He says, “The official trade union has become weak due to the dominance of party-affiliated trade unions. We have all seen how trade union leaders have heavily manipulated transfers and promotions. Employees who cannot pay money do not get transferred to good places. Employee adjustments are a mess because of the parties.”

The new generation of employees is disillusioned with party-affiliated trade unions. They believe that these trade unions are tarnishing the reputation of the entire employee sector. Gurung says, “We employees also have many weaknesses. Now both employees and the government should focus on the official trade union, not party-affiliated ones.”

The issue of party-affiliated trade unions being unnecessary has been discussed in Parliament multiple times. During the theoretical discussion of the ‘Bill to make arrangements regarding the formation, operation, and terms of service of the Federal Civil Service-2024,’ most of the MPs who participated called for the abolition of party-affiliated trade unions for civil servants. MPs from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP), Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), and Janamat Party, among others, said that the concept of a trade union is unnecessary. Other major party MPs, however, suggested that party-affiliated trade unions should be abolished and only one official trade union should be retained. During the discussion, UML MP and former Education Minister Raghuji Pant stated that the prime minister should take the initiative to remove party-affiliated trade unions. At that time, he said, “This courage will not come from any single party—UML, Congress, or Maoist. The Prime Minister himself must take the initiative.”

Photo: Bikram Rai/Nepal News

On December 26, 2024, during a clause-by-clause discussion on the bill, Nepali Congress Chief Whip Shyam Kumar Ghimire, UML Chief Whip Mahesh Bartaula, UML Whip Sunita Baral, RSP Whip Nisha Dangi, RPP Whip Bina Lamal, and others suggested making a legal provision to not allow party-affiliated trade unions. The day after the MPs made these statements, leaders of five civil servant organizations issued a statement warning the MPs not to show “arrogance.” Ultimately, on May 16, 2025, the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the House of Representatives passed the Federal Civil Service Bill, continuing the right to form trade unions.

Teachers and professors as political activists

According to data from the Flash Report-2024/25, published by the Center for Education and Human Resource Development, there are 190,634 teachers from grades one to 12, including permanent, contract, and temporary staff. In addition, Director Hari Prasad Aryal says there are around 50,000 to 60,000 privately funded teachers nationwide. He says, “If you add all the teachers supported by grants from all three levels of government and other sources, the number of teachers in community schools reaches around 300,000.”

Of the 15 organizations affiliated with the Nepal Teachers’ Federation that participated in the Kathmandu-centric protest last April, some 13 were teacher organizations affiliated with political parties, one was for teachers of institutional schools, and another was for school employees. According to data provided by the leaders of all 13 party-affiliated organizations to Nepal News, 292,700 teachers nationwide are affiliated with political parties.

Among these, the largest number are in the Nepali Congress-affiliated Nepal Teachers’ Union. Other active organizations include the UML-affiliated, the Maoist Center-affiliated, the RPP-affiliated, the CPN (Biplav)-affiliated All Nepal Teachers’ Organization, the Rastriya Janamorcha-affiliated All Nepal Teachers’ Organization, the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party-affiliated National Teachers’ Forum, the Janata Samajwadi Party-affiliated Federal Teachers’ Forum, and the Unified Socialist-affiliated Progressive Nepal National Teachers’ Organization. Similarly, organizations affiliated with Madhes-centric political parties are active, including the Nagarik Unmukti-affiliated Madhesi Indigenous Teachers’ Guardians’ Forum. Among these organizations, those affiliated with the major parties have expanded committees in all 77 districts and all seven provinces, while others have expanded to some districts and provinces.

Similarly, there are 31,963 school employees nationwide in community schools, says Ganga Ram Tiwari, president of the Nepal School Employees’ Council. According to the existing legal provision, teachers are not allowed to be affiliated with political parties. Section 16(5)(j) of the Ninth Amendment to the Education Act, 1971, in 2017, states that if a teacher or employee is found to be a member of an executive committee at the central, provincial, district, or local level of a political party, they shall be removed from their position.

Based on this legal provision, then-Education Minister Sumana Shrestha issued a warning notice threatening to take action if teachers did not renounce their party membership. After the notice was made public, 825 teachers submitted applications stating they had renounced their party memberships.

Section 14(2)(g) of the Political Parties Act, 2017, provides that only individuals who are not currently serving as professors, teachers, or employees of an autonomous institution owned or controlled by the Government of Nepal, a provincial government, or a local-level government are allowed to be members of a political party. Based on this, the Election Commission has been warning parties during elections. However, the law does not seem to affect teacher leaders of organizations who can pressure the government to make laws in their favor. The existing Education Act states that there shall be a Nepal Teachers’ Federation to work for the professional rights and interests of community school teachers. The School Education Bill-2023, which is intended to replace the Education Act-1971, also has a provision for a single professional trade union for teachers. Despite these legal provisions, no government has had the courage to take action against teacher organizations that openly protest with the backing of political parties.

According to the existing legal provision, teachers are not allowed to be affiliated with political parties. Section 16(5)(j) of the Ninth Amendment to the Education Act, 1971

It is often raised in public debate that the educational quality of community schools has declined as teachers have become followers of political parties. At a meeting of the House of Representatives’ Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee on March 27, 2025, Chairman Ammar Bahadur Thapa said that party-affiliated teacher associations are not necessary. However, after teachers protested, affecting the student enrollment campaign and the grade 12 exams, the same Chairman Thapa signed an agreement to make a law based on the parties’ demands. The Nepal Teachers’ Federation, which is dissatisfied with the report submitted by the subcommittee to the Education Committee, is preparing for another protest. The teachers are lobbying to ensure that the new act does not remove party-affiliated trade unions. Among the organizations that participated in the teachers’ protest, Laxmi Ram Sharma, president of the CPN (Biplav)-affiliated All Nepal Teachers’ Organization, says that trade union rights must not be removed under any circumstances. He says, “The rights we fought for since the Panchayat era cannot be removed now.”

Not only school-level teachers but also university and college professors are affiliated with one political party or another. According to data from the Nepal Public Campus Association, there are more than 18,000 professors in around 600 community colleges across the country. Almost all of them are affiliated with a political party.

Active organizations include the Congress-affiliated Democratic Professors’ Association, the UML-affiliated Nepal Progressive Professors’ Organization, the Maoist Center-affiliated Nepal National Professors’ Organization, the Unified Socialist-affiliated Unified Progressive Professors’ Organization, the Janata Samajwadi Party-affiliated Socialist Professors’ Association, the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party-affiliated Democratic Professors Association of Nepal, and the Revolutionary Communist Party-ledMohan Baidya-affiliated Nepal Senior Professors Association.

Political parties are not unaware of the increasing malpractices in the education sector. On August 28, 2021, the Nepali Congress’s Education Department unveiled a proposed report on national education policy. The report stated that students, teachers, and professors should be separated from party politics in the education sector. The report was handed over to then-party president and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and then-General Secretary Purna Bahadur Khadka. However, it was subsequently forgotten.

At a meeting of the House of Representatives’ Education, Health, and Information Technology Committee on April 29, 2024, then-Vice-Chancellor of Tribhuvan University, Keshar Jung Baral, said, ‘The mobilization of political party affiliates in the education sector must be stopped. Academic calendars are affected as the university has to deal with student, employee, and professor unions affiliated with political parties on a daily basis.’

According to data from the Nepal Public Campus Association, there are more than 18,000 professors in around 600 community colleges across the country. Almost all of them are affiliated with a political party.

Baral, who had called for making the education sector politics-free, resigned after his four-year term was shortened to 13 months due to political infighting. Rajendra Sharma, a former associate professor at Mahendra Multiple Campus located in Dharan, says that after political parties used teachers and professors in their movements, they in turn opened party-affiliated organizations for their own benefit. He says, “As a result, major party leaders now have a syndicate to distribute the positions of campus chiefs.”

Health workers as party activists

The number of registered healthcare workers in the Ministry of Health is currently around 37,000. It is estimated that more than 300,000 healthcare workers are employed in Nepal when all those working in the private sector are included. Of these, 40,257 healthcare workers are members of political parties.

The UML-affiliated National Federation of Health Workers Nepal, which includes doctors, nurses, and eight other health-related components, has around 20,000 members nationwide. About 60% of them work in government health institutions. The Nepali Congress-affiliated Health Professional Organization of Nepal has 19,000 members, with 60% of them being government employees. Similarly, the Maoist Center-affiliated National Progressive Health Workers Organization, the Unified Socialist-affiliated Unified Health Workers’ Organization, and the Madhes-centric parties’ affiliated Madhesi Health Workers’ Forum are also active.

The Nepal Health Service Act, 1997, allows health service employees to form one official trade union. However, it prohibits them from being affiliated with political parties. Sections 54, 55, and 56 of the act prohibit employees from exercising political influence, participating in politics, and criticizing the government. Section 60 states that health sector employees must not participate in, ask for votes for, or influence any election for a political post.

However, disregarding these legal provisions, health workers are openly affiliated with political parties and have formed not only health worker organizations but also separate organizations for doctors, nurses, paramedics, Ayurvedic workers, and lab technicians. Ramji Ghimire, former president of the Nepali Congress-affiliated Health Professional Organization of Nepal, admits that the way trade unions operate is not right. He says that even though employees should not engage in politics, parties are using them. He says, “The same leaders and MPs who go to the Parliament and say employees should not be involved in politics come to the party and hand them membership. There is fault in both the leaders and us employees. This is why trade unions have become discredited.”

Engineers for the parties

The Nepal Engineering Council currently has more than 80,000 registered engineers. Of these, around 16,000 engineers are members of organizations affiliated with various political parties, and data confirms that 2,673 of these are government employees.

The Nepali Congress’s Centre for Democratic Engineers’ Nepal (CDEN) has around 10,000 members, of which 20% are government employees. The UML-affiliated Progressive Engineering Association Nepal (PEAN) also has 2,880 members. Similarly, the Maoist Center-affiliated National Engineers Organization of Nepal (NEON) has 2,100 members, the Unified Socialist-affiliated Socialist Engineering Association Nepal (SEAN) has 300, the JSP-affiliated Nepal Engineers’ Association (NEA) has 300, the Nepal Majdoor Kisan Party-affiliated Nepal Engineer’s Society has 700, the Janamat Party led by CK Raut has 200, the RPP has 100, and the CPN (Biplav)-affiliated Republican Engineering Association has about 150 engineers. Leaders of these organizations claim that about 10% of their members are government employees.

Article 34(3) of the Constitution states that every worker shall have the right to form and join trade unions and to engage in collective bargaining in accordance with the law. Based on this, political parties are organizing various government employees by getting them to form party-affiliated trade unions.

Former associate professor Sharma says that political parties have provided an opportunity for employees who receive salaries from the state coffers to engage in politics. He says, “Since the Panchayat era, political parties have used teachers, employees, doctors, and engineers to reach the public. The day the ban on parties was lifted, these affiliates should have been dissolved, but not doing so created a syndicate for everyone. The parties must bear the blame for this.”

Ajit Bhandari, a community school parent, filed a writ at the Patan High Court in around 2022 against the government and political parties, arguing that the future of students was in jeopardy because teachers were busy with political party work. In his petition, he requested a law to be made that would prohibit teachers from holding political party membership. The court asked all political parties for a response in this case. In their response, the Nepali Congress and the Maoist Center argued that because teachers had a crucial role in Nepal’s political change, it was not wrong for them or anyone from any profession to be involved in political activities. The UML, however, did not respond.

In a decision on May 18, 2022, a joint bench of Patan High Court Judges Tek Prasad Dhungana and Sudarshan Raj Pandey issued an order to prohibit teachers, employees, and professors from being affiliated with political parties. The High Court’s decision called for the effective implementation of the legal provision that prohibits party affiliation. However, political parties and the government have not complied with this order.

Gauri Bahadur Karki, former president of the Special Court and founding president of the Nepal Government Employees’ Organization, says, “The law and the court have also stated that there should be only one official organization. Such party-affiliated organizations should be abolished.”