VGCL proposes to spend 3.9 billion USD to support COVID-19 affected labourers

Hanoi's Youth Union presents gifts for 150 labourers at Vietnam Esoft Company which suffered serious impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNS/VNA) -  TheVietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) has proposed spending up to 89trillion VND (3.91 billion USD) from the unemployment insurance fund to supportlabourers strongly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chairman of the VGCL Nguyen Dinh Khang said the confederation would propose theMinistry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs consider using the surplusunemployment insurance fund to ease financial difficulties for labourers duringthe fourth COVID-19 outbreak.

Those who have been participating in the unemployment insurance policy for atleast six months would be eligible for financial support.

Figures from the VGCL showed that more than 1.16 million labourers havebenefited from the Government’s support package worth 26 trillion VND (1.13billion USD) from July 8.

Meanwhile, more than two million labourers have lost their jobs or have takenunpaid leave since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in April.

Khang said the policies to give training courses for labourers were infeasibleand not effective as expected as the majority of enterprises were struggling tomaintain production activities and did not have time to develop training plans.

These policies were impractical when many localities were implementing strictsocial distancing regulations following the Government’s Directive 16.

The principle of the Unemployment Insurance Fund as well as other short-termfunds, according to the VGCL, was that employees who contributed to the fundwould be entitled to get support when they lost their jobs, had their contractsuspended or took unpaid leave.

On September 9, the Government assigned the Ministry of Labour, War Invalidsand Social Affairs and relevant ministries to submit to the National AssemblyStanding Committee and competent authorities the policies of using the SocialInsurance Fund to support COVID-19 affected labourers and businesses. This taskmust be completed this month.

The Government also proposed the VGCL consider exempting union fees in the2021-2022 period for labourers at enterprises affected by the pandemic.

The Government's report showed that the spending of the Unemployment InsuranceFund in 2020 has increased by nearly 50 percent over the same period last yearwith a total payment of 18.8 trillion VND (827.8 million USD).

By the end of 2020, this fund still had a balance of more than 89 trillion VND./. 

VNA