“Our challenge now is to sustain an employment-oriented recovery and firmly uphold workers’ fundamental rights,” said Vietnam’s representative to the 99th Session of the International Labour Conference.
Addressing the session in Geneva on June 15, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Minh Huan said with respect to decent work for domestic workers, experience has shown that in times of crisis, disadvantaged workers, including domestic workers, are, more than ever, exposed to vulnerability.
In 2009, more than 133 thousand Vietnamese workers lost their job in enterprises. In traditional craft villages, more than 40 thousand workers lose their job and in rural areas, more than 100 thousand suffer under-employment.
In response to the crisis, interventions of the government have been introduced timely to help sustain macro-economic stability, maintaining employment and develop the labour markets. Effective measures are, among others, supporting enterprises with soft loans to pay salary, social insurance premiums and severance allowance for workers, credits for workers to access vocational training, etc. Implemented in close collaboration with social partners, these measures help Vietnam regain its growth momentum. And new demand for labour started to increase.
Regarding the report on “Accelerating actions against child labour”, which is a key issue on the conference’s agenda, Huan confirmed the consistent policy of Vietnam on the abolition of child labour. Article 65 of Vietnam ’s
Constitution states that children are provided with protection, education and care by their family, the government and the society.
The Labour Code stipulates that workers shall be at least 15 years of age, and the employment of junior workers of less than 18 years of age in physically demanding and dangerous work is strictly prohibited.
Besides efforts to develop legal framework, Vietnam has adopted and implemented the National Action Programme for Vietnamese Children,
2001-2010; the National Programme on Preventing and Combating incidences of street children, sexually abused children and children undertaking dangerous and physically demanding work, 2004-2010.
However, major challenges are still ahead as the world strives forward to
achieve the global goal of a world free from child labour in its worst forms, Huan said adding that this goal is even more challenging for poor and developing countries. And thus, for the global goal to stay within reach, the technical and financial support of the international community for developing countries are essential.
Huan told the conference that on April 7, 2010, in Hanoi , the ASEAN Commission on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) was established within the framework of the 16 th ASEAN Summit. The ACWC aims at upholding, promoting the rights of women and children in ASEAN to live in peace, equality, justice, dignity and prosperity.
The commission will promote the implementation of international instruments, propose policies, strategies and programmes to protect and promote the rights of women and children, including, among others, the rights to education, care and no child labour. The commission will also promote the exchange of experience on the prevention and abolition of all forms of violations of the rights of women and children, including the worst forms of child labour. The commission would make important contributions to the global, regional and national efforts to promote children’s rights in general and the abolition of the worst forms of child labour by 2016 in particular./.
Addressing the session in Geneva on June 15, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Minh Huan said with respect to decent work for domestic workers, experience has shown that in times of crisis, disadvantaged workers, including domestic workers, are, more than ever, exposed to vulnerability.
In 2009, more than 133 thousand Vietnamese workers lost their job in enterprises. In traditional craft villages, more than 40 thousand workers lose their job and in rural areas, more than 100 thousand suffer under-employment.
In response to the crisis, interventions of the government have been introduced timely to help sustain macro-economic stability, maintaining employment and develop the labour markets. Effective measures are, among others, supporting enterprises with soft loans to pay salary, social insurance premiums and severance allowance for workers, credits for workers to access vocational training, etc. Implemented in close collaboration with social partners, these measures help Vietnam regain its growth momentum. And new demand for labour started to increase.
Regarding the report on “Accelerating actions against child labour”, which is a key issue on the conference’s agenda, Huan confirmed the consistent policy of Vietnam on the abolition of child labour. Article 65 of Vietnam ’s
Constitution states that children are provided with protection, education and care by their family, the government and the society.
The Labour Code stipulates that workers shall be at least 15 years of age, and the employment of junior workers of less than 18 years of age in physically demanding and dangerous work is strictly prohibited.
Besides efforts to develop legal framework, Vietnam has adopted and implemented the National Action Programme for Vietnamese Children,
2001-2010; the National Programme on Preventing and Combating incidences of street children, sexually abused children and children undertaking dangerous and physically demanding work, 2004-2010.
However, major challenges are still ahead as the world strives forward to
achieve the global goal of a world free from child labour in its worst forms, Huan said adding that this goal is even more challenging for poor and developing countries. And thus, for the global goal to stay within reach, the technical and financial support of the international community for developing countries are essential.
Huan told the conference that on April 7, 2010, in Hanoi , the ASEAN Commission on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) was established within the framework of the 16 th ASEAN Summit. The ACWC aims at upholding, promoting the rights of women and children in ASEAN to live in peace, equality, justice, dignity and prosperity.
The commission will promote the implementation of international instruments, propose policies, strategies and programmes to protect and promote the rights of women and children, including, among others, the rights to education, care and no child labour. The commission will also promote the exchange of experience on the prevention and abolition of all forms of violations of the rights of women and children, including the worst forms of child labour. The commission would make important contributions to the global, regional and national efforts to promote children’s rights in general and the abolition of the worst forms of child labour by 2016 in particular./.
