Vietnam, RoK re-sign MoU on labour reception

Hanoi (VNA) –Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) have re-inked the regular Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to resume the reception of Vietnamese labourers to work in the RoK under the Employment Permit System (EPS) in 2017.

The document was signed by Vietnamese Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung and RoK Minister of Employment and Labour Lee Ki-kweon in Hanoi on May 17.

During a working session on the same day, the two ministers discussed future links and measures to reduce the rate of illegal migrant workers in both countries.

They also talked issues related to the sending and reception of Vietnamese workers to work in the RoK and vice versa, the RoK’s support for Vietnam to develop a job-information system, cooperation agreements on labour safety and other issues of common concern.

Lee hailed the Vietnamese Government and its labour ministry for creating favourable conditions for Koreans to invest, work and reside in Vietnam.

Under the MoU, authorities of the two countries will work together to build a plan to organise Korean language and technical skill exams for workers who expect to join the EPS.

In the framework of the programme, over 75,000 Vietnamese workers have been sent to work in the RoK since 2004. The Vietnamese guest workers have been praised for their hard work and creativeness.

However, the rate of Vietnamese labourers working illegally in the RoK has remained high in recent years, negatively affecting the labour cooperation between the two countries.

The re-signing of the MoU is expected to bring opportunities to thousands of Vietnamese labourers who wish to work in the RoK, including those who have unlawfully resided and worked in the country and voluntarily returned home.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has coordinated with relevant ministries and sectors to take measures to curb the rate of illegal Vietnamese workers in the RoK, while working with the RoK’s agencies to advise Vietnamese labourer to come back home at the time regulated in labour contracts, and to support them in finding new jobs after their contracts expire.

The two Governments issued policies to exempt illegal workers from a pecuniary penalty if they volunteer to return home and even permit those people to re-enter the RoK to work.

Thanks to these joint efforts, the rate of illegal Vietnamese workers in the RoK declined to about 35 percent in 2015 from 47 percent in 2013.-VNA