Regional/Cultural Day
Majdoor Diwas
Trade unions march through Kathmandu demanding a higher minimum wage, an end to worker exploitation, and stronger protections for the millions of Nepalis who work abroad as migrant laborers. Remittances from overseas workers account for nearly 25 percent of Nepal's GDP, and the march is both a celebration of labor and a protest against the conditions that force young Nepalis to leave. Signs are in Nepali and English, and the marchers carry red flags through the streets of the capital. The garment factories, construction sites, and tea estates depend on this labor, which remains poorly protected.