VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs said at an emergency meeting on March 30 that expectations of striking workers would be taken into account when decrees and circulars guiding the social insurance law are drafted.
Big numbers of workers of PouYuen Co. Ltd. in HCMC continued walking off the job on March 30 over concerns about legal changes in the social insurance law.
As observed by the Daily, most of the company’s more than 80,000 workers returned to work on March 30 but they were stopped by a group of workers.
The ministry and the city government held a news briefing on March 30 afternoon to explain Article 60 of the 2014 social insurance law, which has led workers to strike at PouYuen.
According to Deputy Minister Doan Mau Diep, compared to the old law, Article 60 encourages workers to accumulate working hours to get pensions and allows workers to accumulate the years in which they pay social insurance. They will get one-off payouts if they have paid premiums for less than 15 years. If the time is more than 15 years, they will get pensions on a monthly basis.
Diep said the new law aims to ensure social security and stable incomes for workers after they retire.
However, the new law will not become effective until next year and workers’ expectations for benefits would be taken into account when guidance decrees and circulars are drafted, according to Diep. And there would be options for workers to choose.
HCMC vice chairman Tat Thanh Cang said the city would gather comments from voters and workers and report to the National Assembly.
According to Cang, a dialogue among the ministry, the city government and representatives of the labor union and workers of PouYuen will be organized as soon as possible.
Dang Nhu Loi, former deputy head of the National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs, said social insurance is the benefit for workers after they retire, and the new law has many advantages to ensure social security. However, many issues need to be reconsidered, he added.
Lawyer Nguyen Van Hau, head of the Nguyen Van Hau Associates Law Firm based in HCMC, said workers should be guided to understand their benefits when buying social insurance like pensions and stable incomes when they are old.
However, if workers insist on getting one-off payouts, the law should permit that.
SGT