Provincial People's Committee collaborated with Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs and International Labor Organization (ILO) to organize a seminar on "Improving the effectiveness of labor dispute prevention and resolution in Binh Duong". At the seminar, delegates assessed the current status of labor relations, labor relation building in the province. Opinions shared at the seminar contributed to building a harmonious and progressive labor relation.
To build up a strong relationship
The province has more than 1 million workers, of which, 94% workers have labor contracts. Currently, the whole province has 1,474 enterprises that signed collective labor agreement, nearly 1,000 valid collective labor agreements and more than 7,000 enterprises set up internal labor rules, nearly 3,000 enterprises built payroll and bonus regime. The average salary of a worker is VND 5.5 million/person/month. In addition to salary, enterprises also reward employees with 13th-month’s salary and some other allowances such as: accommodation, electricity, water, lunch ... In order for workers to understand and share difficulties with businesses, all governmental levels and branches in the province encouraged enterprises to organize periodical meetings, dialogues with workers with the focus on regimes and policies on labor law and interests of employees. Mostly, the quality of democratic regulation implementation and dialogue organization at workplaces has been improved, especially in FDI enterprises, thereby effectively promoting democratic and ownership rights of employees, contributing to ensuring job security, worker’ lives, stimulating production and business activities, building harmonious and progressive labor relations.
Provincial Employment Service Center give advice on Labor Code and worker regimes.
Thanks to the implementation of many policies, the number of collective labor disputes tended to decrease significantly over the years. Provincial People's Committee instructed relevant sectors to hold a series of meetings and discussions between provincial leaders and laborers, trade union officials in Ben Cat Town, Thuan An Town, Di An Town, and Tan Uyen Town. At these meetings, opinions and recommendations of the labor force were noted and answered by leaders of provincial People's Committees and functional branches.
Since 2013, the province has presented 38,520 gifts worth totally VND 19.8 billion to laborers who were in difficult situation; bus tickets to workers in disaster areas, flood zones, workers who were injured by labor accidents in order for them to return home on Tet holidays. In addition, businesses also donated thousands of gifts to workers. Provincial People's Committee has paid much attention to construction of many kindergartens, Labor Cultural Center to meet living, learning, entertainment demands of trade union members, workers.
Many thoughtful opinions
At the seminar, Dang Minh Hung, Vice Chairman of Provincial People's Committee, emphasized: The Party, authorities and business community in the province always create the best environment to call on businesses and employees to invest, work and live in the province. However, in addition to good results, there were still some issues about labor relations. The seminar aimed to heighten employees and employers’ awareness of building a harmonious and sustainable labor relationship.
At the seminar, delegates straightly exchanged and shared many ideas to build a harmonious and progressive labor relation.
Nguyen Thi Kieu Nhi, Director of Binh Duong Trade Union Law Consultancy Center, said: "Binh Duong Trade Union Law Consultancy Center focuses on our functions to give consultancy, guidance and assistance to workers, helps them to protect their legitimate rights and interests. The center’s activities have helped employees better understand legal contents related to them, and then are able to protect themselves and intervene in time when their rights and interests are harmed. However, in fact, direct consultancy at enterprises has great effect, but very few enterprises pay attention to propagation and counseling, so the rate of workers receiving legal consultancy is low. Moreover, law provisions and legal procedures have entangled trade union’s legal proceedings in collective labor disputes.
Meanwhile, Truong Thi Thuy Lien, Vice Chairwoman of Binh Duong Leather and Footwear Association, said: "The causes for labor disputes are diverse, some cases come from the rights of employees, others comes from the enterprise side. Conflicts sometimes are very small, but if enterprises do not have appropriate actions, not timely understand legitimate thoughts and wished of workers to solve, it is likely to evolve into a big dispute, causing losses to both sides”.
In order to build a harmonious labor relationship, enterprises cannot be an outsider, business representatives at the seminar said that the good enforcement of laws was the foundation for building labor relations, further affirmed the role of grassroots trade unions in protecting rights and interests of employees.
Reported by Kim Ha – Translated by Ngoc Huynh
