(Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The proposal that workers will not have paid days of on the following Monday and Tuesday it Tet holiday falls on weekend is one of important adjustments regarding public holidays. However, not only workers but also many business associations have proposed keeping the current regulations on paid days off during Tet holiday.
The information was heard at a workshop on revision of the 2012 Labour Code, organised by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) in Hanoi on May 14,
Proposal of no paid days off for Tet holiday
Mai Duc Thien, Deputy Director of Legal Department under the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs said many countries in the world have long New Year holiday. In contrast, Vietnam has a short New Year holiday and a long lunar New Year holiday.
This makes Vietnamese manufacturing and export firms have different holiday time compared to many countries in the world, Thien added.
In accordance with the Labour Code, labourers will have five days off for Tet holiday, however, if the holidays fall on weekends, they will make up for that holiday by adding additional days off, so the total holiday can last up to seven days. Hence, production progress may be affected.
Thien futher said the draft revised law offered two options for gathering public opinions. The first one is not to change the current regulation, the second one, no paid days off for Tet holiday if the holiday falls on weekend.
Keeping long Tet holiday
Many employers recommended not changing the current regulation despite doubts about its impact on enterprises’ business activities.
“For the garment industry, many workers are from the countryside," said Truong Van Cam, general secretary of the Vietnam Textile Association. "Therefore, companies should allow them to take paid days off when Tet falls on weekends to win their loyalty."
“Many fashion suppliers in southern provinces even let their workers to take Tet leave until the middle of the first lunar month," he said.
Do Thi Thuy Huong, a representative of the Vietnam Electronic Industry Association, agreed the change was unnecessary.
According to Pham Minh Huan, former Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the regulation was established in the 1994 Labour Code to allow employees to fully enjoy the biggest holiday of the year and ease traffic pressure before and after Tet.
Mai Duc Thien, deputy head of the ministry’s Legal Department, said the draft amendment was suggested because the break for the holiday – usually in late January or early February – was too long and comes as the rest of the world has already started working [after new year holidays]. This break affects business activities and export orders.
The ministry plans to add a public holiday on July 27, also known as the Vietnamese War Invalids and Martyrs’ Day, to pay tribute to the country’s heroes.
Bui Sy Loi, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs, said he supported the draft amendment, noting that even with the addition of the holiday, Vietnam would still have only 11 public holidays per year, fewer than other countries in Southeast Asia.
“The NA Standing Committee has discussed the change but has not come to a conclusion," he said. "To make a final decision, we are seeking people’s opinions and evaluating social factors since working may be a better way to pay tribute than taking a day off.”/.
