Troubleshooting for enterprises
According to the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the province has about 37,000 employees who have their labor contracts suspended and over 250,000 employees who have reduced working hours.
Mr. Pham Van Tuyen - Deputy Director of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs said that the world political and economic situation has many complicated developments, strongly affecting the global economy, negatively affecting most industries and fields such as import and export activities, high price of input materials. The survey showed that the majority of export enterprises are being affected, new orders are not available, many old orders are canceled, leading to some enterprises after a difficult time in finding orders, they cannot continue to maintain jobs for employees, and have to arrange for employees to reduce working hours, alternate leave or even layoffs.
Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Van Loi visits workers' lives
For the wood industry, after the Covid-19 pandemic, the supply chain broke down; bank interest rates increase, consumer demand decreases; From June 2022 until now, the export sales of enterprises have decreased, the wood industry's orders are about 40%. Mr. Nguyen Liem - Chairman of Binh Duong Furniture Association said: "Currently, some enterprises are trying to keep workers, find orders, and wait for the market to recover. Enterprises have 3 proposals: The State allows enterprises to owe Social Insurance (SI) for a certain period of time without interest, and proposes banks to extend debt and not push enterprises with overdue debts to the above group, which will affect the production of enterprises and has policies with enterprises to support employees".
Representative of Binh Duong Furniture Association proposes to provincial leaders solutions to support enterprises
Facing the difficult situation, production and business are facing difficulties, the departments, branches and localities of Binh Duong province are proactively and actively implementing solutions to help enterprises expand their markets, attract investment, and take care of their employees' lives and morale. Accordingly, the Department of Planning and Investment, the Department of Industry and Trade, and the Binh Duong Industrial Zones Authority have strengthened trade promotion activities and searched for new markets to create conditions for enterprises to have more production orders and create jobs for employees. According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Toan - Director of the Department of Industry and Trade: "Currently, enterprises, especially enterprises in the fields of garment, wood processing, leather and footwear, electronics, export situation are facing difficulties. Besides taking advantage of traditional markets with 15 EVFTAs; the Department of Industry and Trade advises the PPC to develop a deployment program in 2022 and continue to implement it in 2023, which is to expand trade promotion in a number of new markets with the support of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, the Ministry of Industry and Trade covers the markets of India, South America, the Middle East and China, with a population of over 3 billion people in these markets, it is expected to help enterprises access to boost production and remove difficulties for enterprises".
Currently, Binh Duong has World Trade Center (WTC) connected with 170 Trade Centers in the world, the Department of Industry and Trade is promoting the introduction of products of enterprises in the province to Trade Centers around the world, and continues to organize many trade promotion programs to provide information to connect Binh Duong enterprises to find new markets.
With the view of accompanying enterprises, considering the enterprises' development as the province's development, recently, the PPC held a meeting with enterprises and trade associations to listen and remove difficulties for enterprises. At the meeting, representatives of trade associations and enterprises wished to soon implement policies on tax exemption, reduction, and SI payment reduction during the long Tet holiday; supporting enterprises to borrow capital at preferential interest rates to reward workers for Tet, relaxing inspection and inspection tasks to reduce pressure on enterprises; creating conditions for enterprises to overcome instead of sanction, etc.
Provincial leaders and the Central Delegation survey production and business activities at Thai Binh Investment Joint Stock Company (Thai Binh Shoes)
Sharing difficulties with enterprises in the current period, Chairman of the PPC Vo Van Minh affirmed that the province accepts the opinions and recommendations of trade associations and enterprises, as a basis for the province to make an appropriate plan to stabilize labor and employment in a fundamental and long-term way, ensuring the province's socio-economic development in the coming time is sustainable. In the coming time, the province will continue to strengthen the Working Group to share difficulties for enterprises and propose specific solutions. For the recommendations of enterprises within the province's capacity, the province will solve problems to help enterprises overcome difficulties. For matters beyond the scope of the province, the PPC will propose the Central Government to have more policies to support enterprises. Chairman of the PPC said that in difficulties, it is also an opportunity for enterprises to make a transformation, prepare for long-term development, strengthen trade promotion to find new markets, restructure production, improve technology, increase labor productivity, etc.
He asked departments, branches and localities to coordinate in communication so that employees can accompany and share difficulties with enterprises; focus on taking care of the stable life for employees. For the Tax branch, effectively implementing Decree No. 91/2022/ND-CP, Decree No. 34/2022/ND-CP of the Government on tax reduction support for enterprises. In the coming time, the PPC continues to request the State Bank of Vietnam - provincial branch to direct: credit institutions continue to propagate and guide policies to support and remove difficulties for customers; increase in-depth access to customers, record difficulties and problems to solve or handle immediately and promptly; promote lending policies, loan product packages and services in the new normal state; strengthen inspection and supervision of the implementation of policies on solving difficulties for customers.
Stabilizing life for employees
The situation of enterprises reducing working hours, suspending or terminating contracts leads to a decrease in the income of employees, directly affecting the employees' lives, especially the employees outside the province, while there is just over a month left until the Lunar New Year of the Rabbit 2023.
Forecasting that the production and business situation will continue to face many difficulties, the PPC has directed the branches to make statistics and review the labor situation in enterprises in industrial parks and clusters to have a direction to regulate enterprises that are cutting labor to enterprises that are still in need of recruitment. The branches regularly urge, inspect and remind enterprises in the area to properly implement the regimes related to labor policies and SI for employees. In particular, the functional agencies strengthen, proactively grasp the situation, check the employers in the implementation of legal provisions on salary and bonus regimes during the Lunar New Year; promptly detect and take measures to ensure the employees' interests in case the enterprise encounters difficulties, reduces orders, owes salaries, is unable to pay bonuses, the enterprise owner is not present at the unit or is dissolved or bankrupt.
The Provincial Employment Service Center organizes a job trading session to connect labor supply and demand
The Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs promotes labor market information, enhances the understanding of labor needs of enterprises to connect labor supply and demand, organizes job trading sessions; effectively implements the employee support regimes from the Unemployment Insurance policy to help employees find new jobs soon, stabilize their lives as well as promote labor counseling, take advantage of opportunities to learn vocational skills, improve skills, and well prepare skills to improve competitiveness when the recruitment market recovers. Currently, there are 40 enterprises in the electronics, food and garment industries in the province that need to recruit 9,000 new workers; functional branches are actively supporting and connecting for employees to contact and apply for jobs.
In the immediate future, the province will give priority to activities to support Tet care for employees. Every year, the province has a policy to support employees who stay in Binh Duong to celebrate Tet. Due to the difficult economic situation, this year's Tet, the number of employees staying in Binh Duong to celebrate Tet will be more than every year, so the province will increase the number of support gifts by 50% compared to 2022, it is expected that there will be about 46-47,000 gifts for employees staying to celebrate Tet.
Ms. Nguyen Kim Loan - Chairman of the Provincial Labor Confederation finds out the thoughts and aspirations of workers' lives
Ms. Nguyen Kim Loan - Chairman of the Provincial Labor Confederation (LC) informed: "The provincial LC has actively developed a plan to take care of Tet early and will complete it in December of the calendar. Specifically, in addition to organizing the Tet Fair of the General LC in Binh Duong; the Provincial LC will also organize the Provincial Trade Union Tet Fair, and at the same time, each disadvantaged employee will be supported by the Trade Union with 500,000 VND, and it is expected that there will be about 100,000 gifts to support employees. In addition, Trade unions at all levels also mobilize resources to take care of and support employees having to reduce working hours; and suspend from work. For employees wishing to return to their hometown to celebrate Tet, the Union will support bus and train tickets. In addition, the Provincial LC will propose to the General LC to have policies to support employees who are in difficulty, and at the same time connect to access loan packages for workers to avoid falling into the black credit trap".
Leaders of departments and branches visit and present gifts to employees
According to the Thuan An City People's Committee, in the area, about 28,000 workers have been suspended from work and reduced working hours. Thuan An has assigned the Division of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs to closely monitor the operation situation, remind enterprises to properly implement policies for employees, and encourage enterprises within their capacity to carry out Tet support activities for employees. On the other hand, the city reviews the demand, promotes the supply and demand connection for enterprises, thereby introducing jobs to employees; supporting enterprises in difficulty, taking care of employees, etc.
To ensure the security and order situation in the area in the last months of the year, to minimize the arising of work stoppages and disputes; Tan Uyen Town has had a solution to actively support enterprises and employees, develop a plan to proactively prevent; connect workers and employees; propaganda and advocacy; support for employees during Tet holiday.
The town has reviewed the list of employees staying to celebrate Tet to support gifts, and at the same time mobilized resources to take care of employees who have stopped working and reduced working hours; set up a hotline to assist in resolving labor disputes, etc.
The timely direction of the PPC along with the active participation of branches and levels with many effective solutions contribute to helping enterprises and employees overcome the difficult period and build a harmonious and stable relationship between enterprises and workers.
Reported by Yen Nhi- Translated by Thanh Tam