Five garment companies based in Van Lam district, the northern province of Hung Yen, sign collective labour agreements with their employees on July 14. (Photo: daidoanket.vn) Hung Yen (VNA) – Five garment companies based in Van Lam district, the northernprovince of Hung Yen, signed collective labour agreements with theiremployees on July 14.
Ha Hung JSC, Viet Phat Co.,Ltd., Suntex Co., Ltd., Nhat Hoa Production andTrade Co., Ltd., and Y&I Co., Ltd. and representatives of their workers inked the deals inan event hosted by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour.
It was part of the project topromote effective negotiation in the textile and garment industry funded by the Dutch National Federation of Christian Trade Unions(CNV).
Under the agreements, thefirms must reward at least one month’s salary as a bonus at the end of the year for those who work a full 12 monthsand givea bonus to those who come upwith innovative ideas or high productivity. They must also provide clean andhealthy meals, worth at least 16,000 VND per meal per person, for theiremployees.
Additionally, in each shift,the workers are allowed to have a short break of atleast 10 minutes while the companies promised to take the workerson retreats.
For employees, they mustabide by the provisions of law, labour contracts, workplace rules and thelabour agreements. They also need to participate in employeerecognition award programmes and must not unilaterally terminate labourcontracts.
According to a Governmental official, to comply with therequirements of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement forTrans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, Vietnam needs torespect and promote the 1998 International Labour Organisation (ILO) Declaration, particularly Convention 98 on the right tocollective bargaining.
Currently, the countryhas more than 505,000 active businesses, employing 15 million workers.
By 2018, 27,000businesses had signed collective bargaining agreements, accounting for 21 percentof firms with 10 employees or above, and 67 percent of businesses that have aunion.
All public sectorenterprises have signed collective bargaining agreements, while the figure inprivate sector and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is 66 percent.
A recent survey conducted by the Institute of Workers and Trade shows thewages of textile labourers are not high enough for them to afford livingexpenses.
About 65 per cent of theworkers in the survey have to work extra time regularly. About 53 per cent cannotafford the cost of healthcare. –VNA
VNA
