7-05-05, 10:25 am
From Thanh Nien News
Workers of a Taiwanese factory in central Vietnam during a strike in protest against alleged mistreatment, long hours, and low pay.
Many factory workers in Vietnam still suffer from long hours, low pay and poor working conditions, but workers are realizing that going on strike may be their best recourse to get what they want – better rights.
Strike boom
Almost 900 strikes have taken place nationwide between early 1995 and May 2005. Fifty-eight per cent of the strikes were for better salaries and the remainder for better working hours, a safer work place and maternity rights.
In the first six months of 2005, a number of strikes occurred due to dissatisfaction over pay. Most workers who went on strike worked for foreign-invested companies.
In May, 10,000 workers of Keyhinge Toys Company, the toymaker for fast food giant McDonalds, took part in the country’s largest ever strike in central Danang city. The workers’ main demand was for a salary increase among other things.
Better pay - the key to happiness
Although there have been improvements to workers’ rights in some factories and plants, there are still businesses that do not bother to outline detailed salary regulations over raises and bonuses. Some plants still use the basic salary structure as the only basis to decide their employees’ pay.
There are many workers who have a lot of work experience and professional skills, but are still paid like unskilled entry-level workers. Some employers also fail to give allowances for workers in harmful working conditions.
Nguyen Van Khuong, vice chairman of southern Binh Duong province’s Labor Association, said the unreasonable method of calculating pay was the major cause for worker discontentment.
Meanwhile, the current basic salary structure as stated in the Labor Code is already too low in relation to cost of living, said Dao Ngoc Hoang, a salary official of southern Dong Nai province’s Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs.
Workers’ basic monthly salary is roughly more than 500,000 VND at most Taiwanese companies, more than 700, 000 VND at Japanese companies and 800,000 VND at European companies. With additional allowances, a worker earns about 1 million VND per month.
But with consumer prices rising, the wage is barely enough to live, complained one seamstress, who has been working for 10 years without ever enjoying a raise.
In addition, other workers, who are paid per product, earn even less as commission rates are extremely low in some companies.
Basic rights
According to Mr. Khuong, working conditions in many companies fail to meet standards on noise, pollution, temperature and safety.
Meanwhile, most workers are forced to work overtime, with the number of extra hours usually exceeding the regulated limit.
Slow payment of salaries and no job security are also other major issues.
Reported by Nhu Lich and Thien Long – Translated by Xuan Lan. Thanh Nien is published by the Vietnamese Youth Federation in Ho Chi Minh City.
