More than 300 outstanding party members, workers, and union officials in Ho Chi Minh City expressed many very personal opinions about jobs and workers' lives at the program "City leaders meet with outstanding party members, workers, and union officials" on February 18.
Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee - Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Phuoc Loc (right) met with exemplary union officials of the city - Photo: VU THUY
Many businesses in Ho Chi Minh City are facing the reality of having difficulty recruiting enough workers due to the fact that the lives of workers from other provinces who come to work in the city are still full of difficulties in terms of housing, education for their children, and the cost of living is among the most expensive in the country.
Trade unions must be the leading agency, providing timely assistance when workers face risks in the economy such as natural disasters, epidemics, and supply chain disruptions so that they can return to the labor market soon.
Mr. NGUYEN PHUOC LOC
Everyone wants to work with peace of mind.
Mr. Nguyen Cao Phong - chairman of the union of a garment company in District 12 - said that the current income of his company's workers is about 9 million VND, so if they want to cover their daily living expenses and send their children to school, they are forced to work overtime.
"Almost all company workers work overtime, mostly driving technology cars and picking up extra items from outside to do," said Mr. Phong.
This company has opened a factory in Ben Tre with a larger workforce than the factory in Ho Chi Minh City. Recruiting local workers is easier, but the industrial style of workers in Ho Chi Minh City is better than in Ben Tre. Currently, the Ben Tre factory has about 2,000 workers while in Ho Chi Minh City there are only about 900.
Meanwhile, Mr. Cu Phat Nghiep - Chairman of the union of Pou Yuen Vietnam Co., Ltd. (Binh Tan District) - said that the company needs to recruit about 4,000 workers to open new production lines this year. Although there are many policies to attract recruitment and reward referrals, it is still difficult to recruit enough.
"Many provinces and cities have industrial parks, so workers have more options. Coming to Ho Chi Minh City, workers have more burdens, living expenses, children's education are higher, especially housing issues," Mr. Nghiep shared.
Mr. Nghiep spent almost all his time on behalf of workers expressing their wishes for social housing. In reality, many couples go to Ho Chi Minh City to work but their children have to be sent to their parents in the countryside.
According to him, the cost of renting housing and many other expenses in Ho Chi Minh City accounts for a high proportion while the regional minimum wage for workers in the city and in other provinces is not much different. Therefore, many people choose to work in their hometowns to be close to their parents, children, and friends.
"Only with a social housing policy that sells at prices suitable to their incomes, will workers from other provinces reconsider staying in Ho Chi Minh City. If after 20-30 years of working, they have their own dream house and can live with their family, they can focus on work and stay in the city for a long time," said Mr. Nghiep.
Unions need to do more
Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee - Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Phuoc Loc and Head of the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Manh Cuong were present at the dialogue.
Listening to the statements, Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Loc suggested that the Ho Chi Minh City Labor Federation must fully acknowledge the opinions. The next thing to do is to consider and develop appropriate solutions, and propose to relevant agencies to better care for workers on many issues.
Mr. Loc requested that the union coordinate well in training, retraining, and advanced training for workers to adapt to the new situation.
"In the coming period, with the innovation of the growth model based on the foundation of knowledge economy, science and technology, innovation, and green economy, the demand for human resources is forecasted to change a lot. This requires workers to have higher qualifications and skills, which also poses many challenges for trade unions," said Mr. Loc.
Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor Phan Van Anh suggested many things to focus on in the near future. In particular, the Ho Chi Minh City Labor Union needs to have many dialogues at the enterprise level about wages, bonuses, and working hours.
It is also necessary to regularly visit and encourage workers from the union's financial resources, focusing on grassroots unions to build a strong union team.
"We believe that dialogue and signing labor agreements to bring more favorable conditions for workers is the most practical and best way to care for union members and workers," Mr. Anh assessed.
Increase personal income tax deduction
Mr. Tran Thanh Son - Chairman of the Trade Union of Song Ngoc Garment Company Limited (Binh Tan District) - stated that the average income of employees at the company is about 12 million VND. However, the cost of renting a house and raising children to study accounts for the majority.
To support attracting workers, Mr. Son said that the treatment of enterprises is not enough and requires the cooperation of the city government. "It is necessary to consider adjusting the personal income tax rate and increasing the deduction for dependents. It cannot be compared to other provinces and cities because the costs and prices of Ho Chi Minh City are among the most expensive in the country," Mr. Son suggested.
Party development in enterprises
Mr. Ly Khanh Hoang - Chairman of the Trade Union of Seecom Fashion Group Joint Stock Company (Binh Chanh District) - said that the introduction of outstanding union members for consideration of Party development in the business sector has been difficult in the past. The reason is that business owners have not paid much attention to establishing Party organizations and developing Party members in the unit, including union members and workers.
"Along with raising awareness among workers about the Party, Party organizations and the government need to strengthen the implementation of public duties with integrity, stand side by side with businesses, create favorable conditions for taxes, security and order, connect banks in loans, production and business locations in the area...", Mr. Hoang commented.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cong-nhan-can-nhieu-ho-tro-de-bam-tru-20250218232800785.htm
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