March 29: The lockdown imposed by the government has resulted in the closure of the service sector and industries, rendering 3 to 4 million people jobless, according to labour organisations.

The labourers involved in construction works and transportation sector, daily-wage earners, self-employed people, street vendors, small shop owners and those working in workshops and industries have been jobless since last Tuesday after the government imposed a nationwide lockdown.

General Federation of Nepalese Trade Union (GEFONT) and the Federation of Contractors Association of Nepal (FCAN) say that hundreds of thousands of labourers working in different sectors have been affected by the lockdown.

Although people working in the formal sector have got paid leave, those involved in the informal sector as well as daily wage earners have been badly affected by the shut down.

Chairman of GEFONT Binod Shrestha informed that basically those who work in the informal sector have been rendered jobless while the daily wage earners are having a hard time making their ends meet.

“The labourers working in the informal sector do not have any reliable source of income. In such situation, the private sector and the government must work hand in hand to support them,” said Shrestha, adding that the government must announce relief package for those affected by the shutdown.

Shrestha argued that the private sector cannot fire its employees during such crisis but instead needs to give additional wage of 15 days as per the labour act.

GEFONT has also urged all the offices not to lay off their staff at such critical situation.

Meanwhile, FCAN President Rabi Singh informed that around 3 million people are involved in the construction sector which has come to a complete halt.

He said that the contractors are facing problem of supplying food to the workers stationed in remote areas and also in transporting those who want to take leave during the lockdown.

Immediate past president of Nepal Trade Union Congress Khilnath Dahal said that the current crisis has pushed the people living below the poverty line into further trouble while predicting that those who were a little better off will now fall into abject poverty.

Meanwhile, NCP leader Brinda Pandey said that it was unfortunate that the government didn’t have any records of people working in the informal sector. She argued that lack of data has made it difficult for the concerned authorities to provide relief to the family of the workers who have been affected by the lockdown.