Securities Board Staff Protest Enters 23rd Day Amid Finance Ministry Directive Dispute
Employees of Nepal’s Securities Board have continued their protest for 23 days, opposing a Finance Ministry order to scrap two staff welfare procedures.
The employee protest at the Nepal Securities Board (SEBON) has entered its 23rd consecutive day, as staff continue to oppose the Finance Ministry’s directive to annul two internal welfare-related procedures.
The ministry’s instruction, issued on Ashwin 3 (Sept 19), was presented to SEBON’s board meeting last Sunday. The meeting was adjourned without a decision, stating that previous board resolutions would be reviewed before taking further action.
Employees have responded by maintaining a strict protest schedule—observing a one-hour sit-in at the start of office hours and enforcing a full-day pen-down strike. The ongoing strike has halted all administrative operations at SEBON, including approval processes for securities issuance and related documentation.
The Finance Ministry’s directive called for the immediate cancellation of the Employee Welfare Fund Procedure, 2071 and the Employee Protection Fund (Operation and Management) Procedure, 2075. It further instructed SEBON to recover previously disbursed funds deemed inconsistent with prevailing laws as government dues.
Citing this as an infringement on employee rights, staff members have vowed to continue their protest until the directive is withdrawn. The disruption has reportedly delayed several pending regulatory approvals in Nepal’s capital market.