However, in addition to the achieved results, the implementation of the 2014 Social Insurance Law also revealed some shortcomings, limitations and inadequacies, such as: the coverage of social insurance participants is still low compared to the potential; compliance with the law is not high; voluntary social insurance policies have not attracted many people to participate... Therefore, the Law needs to be amended to suit the aspirations of workers and the reality of life.
The draft Law on Social Insurance (amended) is being implemented to collect public opinions in order to propose more regulations to increase benefits for workers, while ensuring the expansion of the social security network.
The draft revised Law on Social Insurance has added 5 policy groups, detailed into 18 major contents with many important new points. In particular, the proposal to reduce the social insurance payment period from 20 years to 15 years has received much attention from workers.
Because in reality, for many workers in specific occupations, the working age only lasts until the age of 40, which is difficult to meet the requirements of the job. For example, in the garment industry, the job requires meticulousness, sitting at a machine in a certain position for hours... If according to the provisions of the Labor Code in 2019, the retirement age gradually increases to 62 years old for men in 2028 and 60 years old for women in 2035, many workers will hardly be able to wait to receive their pension books.
Ms. Dinh Thi Mai Hoa, a worker at NAM&CO LONDON Co., Ltd., Yen Ninh town (Yen Khanh district) said: I have been working since I was 20 years old, have worked for 15 years and have received social insurance benefits. However, with the specific job of making clothes, at the age of nearly 40, I began to find it difficult to perform operations such as looking at seams, cutting threads, etc. Therefore, I think reducing the number of years of social insurance contributions to 15 years is reasonable, helping workers feel secure in their work and when the age is no longer suitable, they can quit, choose another job and wait to receive retirement benefits.
Recently, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the lives of workers. Not long after workers returned to work, many businesses have had their orders cut, and their products cannot be sold. Accordingly, workers have been furloughed, suspended, or have had to take turns off work, and many have lost their jobs and fallen into difficult situations. To make ends meet or switch to other economic activities, many people have withdrawn their social insurance at one time, concentrated in the group of young workers, from over 20 years old to about 40 years old, with a rate of 77.5%.
Mr. Dinh Van Thien, Gia Hoa commune (Gia Vien district) said: I have been a worker for 11 years and have been out of work for more than a year. I have thought carefully, if I continue to work as a worker, I will have to pay nearly ten more years of social insurance and wait more than 20 years according to regulations to receive my pension book, that is too long. So I am currently applying for a one-time social insurance settlement to find a way to develop my family's economy.
According to the assessment of the Social Insurance industry, the number of employees withdrawing their Social Insurance at one time is increasing. With many employees withdrawing their Social Insurance at one time, it poses a big challenge, affecting the rights of employees both in the short term and in the long term. Therefore, the amendment of the policy on one-time Social Insurance is set out in the spirit of Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW on reforming the Social Insurance policy, aiming at more flexibility and openness in terms of pension conditions, but stricter regulations on one-time Social Insurance withdrawal.
By the end of September 2023, Ninh Binh province had nearly 160,000 people participating in social insurance, accounting for 33.4% of the working-age population, an increase of nearly 32% over the same period in 2018. Of which, the number of people participating in compulsory social insurance was nearly 143,000 people, voluntary social insurance was over 17,800 people; nearly 135,000 people participated in unemployment insurance, accounting for nearly 26% of the working-age population. At the same time, over 918,000 people participated in health insurance, reaching a coverage rate of 90.83% of the population. Currently, the whole province has over 60,000 people receiving pensions and social insurance benefits every month.
However, through practical operation, it shows that the 2014 Social Insurance Law has not mentioned the group of subjects with the need and ability to participate in compulsory social insurance such as: individual business owners, employees working under flexible regimes, private business owners, managers and operators of cooperatives, cooperative unions without salary... The voluntary social insurance policy currently only implements 2 regimes including retirement and death benefits, so it has not attracted many participants.
Mr. Dinh Nho Khanh, Deputy Director of Ninh Binh Province Social Insurance, said: One of the new points of the revised Social Insurance Law this time is that employees who reach retirement age and have paid social insurance for 15 years or more are entitled to receive a monthly pension, which is completely consistent with reality.
Because this regulation aims to create opportunities for some groups of people who start participating in social insurance late (starting participating at 45-47 years old) or participate intermittently or do specific jobs with short working time, leading to not having accumulated enough 20 years of social insurance contributions when reaching retirement age, to have the opportunity to receive monthly pension and be guaranteed health insurance.
This regulation also contributes to reducing the number of people receiving one-time social insurance payments due to eligibility for pensions. Employees with a longer period of social insurance contributions will still receive pensions with a higher pension rate unchanged from current regulations. However, with a stable monthly pension, periodically adjusted by the State and during the pension period, the social insurance fund will pay for health insurance, this will contribute to better ensuring the life of employees in their old age. At the same time, this is also the goal of Resolution 28-NQ/TW in 2018 of the Politburo on social insurance reform, which is to expand social insurance coverage, moving towards universal social insurance coverage.
One of the contents that many people are interested in, especially workers who are not subject to compulsory social insurance, is that the draft stipulates that voluntary social insurance participants will be entitled to maternity benefits. Accordingly, the draft Law stipulates that workers participating in voluntary social insurance when giving birth have the opportunity to receive maternity benefits, the source of payment will be guaranteed by the state budget.
This draft law also adds the right to enjoy sickness and maternity benefits for part-time workers in communes, wards and towns; amends regulations related to salaries in the state sector; adds regulations on management of social insurance collection and payment to handle the situation of late payment and evasion of compulsory social insurance payment...
It can be said that with many important and necessary new points in the Draft Law on Social Insurance (amended) which is being widely consulted among all classes of people, it has received the attention and consensus of the people, especially those who participate in voluntary social insurance. Affirming the viewpoint and goal of amending the Law on Social Insurance is to expand and increase rights and benefits, create attractiveness to attract workers to participate in social insurance, ensuring social security for the people.
Article and photos: Hanh Chi
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