As a province with a large number of workers, especially women workers accounted for over 56% of the total number of workers, recently, with the efforts of governmental agencies, mass unions in the province, women workers have been approached and enjoyed more and more health care programs. It is the consulting and direct dissemination sessions for women workers that have contributed to changing their behavior, protecting their rights, and making them live more responsibly.
The regular health check-up and propagation of reproductive health care for women workers attracts the attention of many businesses
Reproductive health care
Ever Tech Plastic Vietnam Company (Thai Hoa ward, Tan Uyen Town) has held a reproductive health consulting program for their women workers. Some women workers were happy, said: "Today we woke up early to be present at the company and attend the reproductive health consulting program. We are happy and waiting for the delegation of consultants to come." This program was held by Provincial Labor Confederation in collaboration with Provincial Reproductive Health Care Center for more than 500 men and women workers in the factory of Ever Tech Plastic Vietnam Company.
At this consulting program, workers were informed of basic knowledge of reproductive health care before, during and after pregnancy. Currently women workers are experiencing many nutritional problems before, during and after pregnancy. Worker Nguyen Thi Sau said: "Due to overtime working to earn more money, we workers do not have time to prepare nutritious meals for ourselves, while our financial condition is limited. As I was pregnant with my first baby, I didn't get vaccinated and a pre-birth medical check-up, thus now this affects my baby's physical development." During pregnancy, some women workers abstain from some foods, thus do not supplement themselves with enough vitamins and minerals for the fetus. Also at the consulting program, many questions of women workers about the following issues: Contraceptives, pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, gynecological hygiene, menstrual disorders, inflammatory glandular diseases, cervical inflammation... were carefully answered by consultants.
Dr. Vo Nguyen Diem Thy, Deputy Director of Provincial Center for Reproductive health care, said that through a recent survey, there was still some women workers, who have not been married, lack of reproductive health care knowledge. In the coming time, in order to improve the communication effectiveness, we will enhance the cooperation with branches, and hold seminars on reproductive health care, communicate, consult and provide reproductive health examination for women workers in companies and industrial parks. On the other hand, companies and local governments need to hold more communication sessions on nutrition, reproduction health care, integrate reproduction health education programs into vocational training programs in workplace for workers.
Comprehensive care for women workers
Currently, the province has more than 1.2 million workers working in enterprises; in particular, women workers account for the majority, the most concentrate in the garment and footwear industries. Some businesses with large number of women workers have developed and organized day care centers for workers' children to support partly the cost. In addition to the prescribed legal regimes, some enterprises also subsidized women workers during childbirth, contributing to stabilizing labor relations, increasing worker's income, improving life and resolving jobs for women workers. On the other hand, women workers in enterprises were also equipped with in vocational training to improve skills in management, industrial working style, labor discipline.
Grassroots trade unions boosted propagation, encouraged lodging house's owners to give rent discounts to disadvantaged women workers, to help women workers when they were sick... On big holidays, grassroots trade unions held cultural and cultural, healthy entertainment activities; visited and gave gifts to women workers having difficult circumstances who do not afford returning to their hometown on Tet holidays, presented bus tickets to women workers to return home; organized new year celebrating activities, encouraged lodging house's owners to save land for growing vegetables to improve worker's meals... These activities not only gave spiritual motivation but also improved legal and reproductive health knowledge of women.
Nguyen Hoang Bao Tran, Vice Chairwoman of Provincial Labor Confederation, said: "Recently, Binh Duong has a policy of encouraging enterprises to gradually build kindergartens, accommodations, amusement parks for workers in industrial parks, tax exemption or reduction for enterprises employing women workers. In particular, Provincial Labor Confederation has also directed trade unions at all levels to integrate knowledge of reproductive health care into the periodically activities of trade union organizations; encouraged employers to create favorable conditions for women workers to learn about reproductive health, family planning, and diversify propagation activities for workers."
In the enforcement process of the Labor Code, enterprises in the province have ensured that women workers have a stable life, are arranged to work in appropriate positions. Many enterprises spent a part of their welfare fund to build bathrooms, toilets, changing room for women workers; pregnant women are allowed to have regular check-ups and lighter work, take 60 minutes off per day during child nursing time, take 30 minutes off per day during their menstruation period.
Reported by Kim Ha - Translated by Ngoc Huynh
