Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam and Romania are working to strengthen cooperation in the labour field and are negotiating to sign a bilateral social insurance agreement covering pension, sickness, and maternity benefits.
This was one of the contents discussed during a meeting in Hanoi on August 13 between Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung and Romanian Ambassador to Vietnam Cristina Romila.
At the meeting, Ambassador Romila mentioned the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two countries on cooperation in labour and social security during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to Romania in January 2024, adding that Romania sees Vietnamese workers as dynamic and skillful.
She also mentioned the proposal to exempt visas for Romanian citizens to meet the requirements of the new situation and the cooperative relationship between the two countries.
In the last few years, many Romanian citizens have come to Vietnam, and similarly, many Vietnamese people have gone to work in Romania. Therefore, the Romanian Ministry of Labour and Social Protection has drafted a set of documents to introduce its social insurance system to the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, she said.
The diplomat suggested the Vietnamese ministry consider the possibility of cooperation between the two countries in negotiating a bilateral social insurance agreement related to pensions, sickness, and maternity. Romania also wants to receive documentation on Vietnam’s Social Insurance Law.
Enhancing the implementation of social insurance agreements between Vietnam and other countries, and international cooperation in this field will play a crucial role in developing a flexible, diverse, multi-tiered, modern, and integrated social insurance system, moving towards alignment with international standards, she added.
Minister Dung noted that about 2,600 Vietnamese workers are working in Romania, mainly in the mechanical, construction, carpentry, textile and garment, food, and domestic work sectors. Their basic salary for workers ranges from 750 to 1,000 USD per month (excluding overtime pay). Those who work under contracts signed between Vietnamese and Romanian enterprises are entitled to two types of insurance which are health insurance and occupational accident insurance.
Regarding the protection of the rights of Vietnamese workers in Romania, Dung said that Romanian authorities have coordinated closely with Vietnamese diplomatic missions to provide information on the situation of Vietnamese workers in the country.
In 2020-2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, factories reduced their production. Romanian authorities consistently directed, monitored, and supported local businesses in employing Vietnamese workers to ensure wages and income for them, said Dung.
He also showed his full support for Romania's proposal to negotiate a bilateral social insurance agreement concerning pension, sickness, and maternity benefits.
The minister also discussed Vietnam’s human resources development policies and those for employing foreign workers as well as those for Vietnamese workers working abroad with the Romanian ambassador.
He proposed Romania provide comprehensive legal information regarding social insurance to Vietnam. In return, Vietnam will supply all relevant legal documents so that both sides can study them and identify compatible areas, based on the interests of the workers and citizens of the two countries.
Cristina Romila expressed her hope for signing the agreement on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations in 2025./.
