With the support of organizations, businesses, benefactors, trade unions in the province have had more resources to take care of trade union members and workers who are facing difficulties due to the Covid-19.
To stay side by side with workers
Recently, Nguyen Thi Phuong, a worker of Pungkook Saigon 2 Company (Song Than 1 Industrial Park, Di An City), had to take an off-work time to self-isolate, monitor her health at home, because her husband' company had one F0 case. Phuong said that both her husband and she are workers, their monthly income is just over VND10 million. They live away from their hometown, stay in a lodging room, have many expenses to spend, rent, electricity and water bills, child support, school fees... Besides, every month, they have to save a small amount and send back to their family at hometown. Now, due to the impact of the Covid-19, being isolated, her income has decreased, making their lives even more difficult.
Provincial Labor Confederation and a sponsor present gifts to three workers having extremely difficult circumstances of Puku Vietnam Company at a lodging house.
Understanding the difficulties of workers, in addition to visiting and giving gifts, Provincial Labor Confederation directly encouraged Sao Do Investment and Development Joint Stock Company (Thu Dau Mo City) to support 5 gifts, each worth 3 million VND, given to Phuong and four other workers having extremely difficult circumstances affected by the epidemic. Receiving gift, Phuong was touched and said: "When I was forced to perform the isolation, my husband and I were very worried. Thanks to the encouragement and timely support from the trade union, we feel secure and implement the isolation to fight against the epidemic together."
Also affected by the Covid-19, Pham Thi Can Tu, a worker at Hiep Long Wood Company and lives in a boarding house in An Phu ward (Thuan An city), was isolated for disease prevention control. She said: “Due to being in close contact with infected cases, the lodging house where I live has been isolated to monitor health status. In the past few days, I, like many workers staying here, have received necessities such as rice, cooking oil, instant noodles, vegetables, etc. from the local government and mass organizations. In particular, the owner of the lodging house also gave each room 10kg of rice and a box of instant noodles, and a box of powdered milk to each room having a baby. At , such gifts mean a lot to my family. We are grateful to local authorities, unions and benefactors who always care and support us in difficult times."
Together taking care of workers
Since the coronavirus resurged in some areas of the province, in addition to the care of the government, there were also the cooperation and contribution from mass organizations and the whole community to promptly share difficulties with workers affected by the epidemic. In recent days, the grassroots trade union of An Phu ward (Thuan An city) cooked thousands of free meals and sent to workers in isolation and blockade areas to help the Covid-19 prevention control in the area. Participants of this activity were trade union officials and members who cooked the meals themselves. Vo Huynh Long, Chairman of Fatherland Front Committee, Chairman of Grassroots Trade Union of An Phu Ward, said that every day, more than 400 breakfast meals were cooked and directly given to workers in blockaded lodging houses. Fund for this activity was donated by the ward officials, union members and businesses, organizations, benefactors...
Pham Thi Thu Huong, a worker at Pung Kook Saigon 3 Factory, said: “Amidst the surging coronavirus, workers staying in blockaded lodging houses are bewildered, unable to go to work, our lives are very difficult. In the past few days, workers in the lodging house has received breakfast, necessities such as rice, cooking oil, instant noodles, vegetables, meat, fish... These gifts help us overcome difficulties. I hope the epidemic would pass quickly so that everything will return to normal soon.”
Also with the desire to help workers overcome difficulties during the isolation and social distancing time, many lodging house's owners in Thuan An city have actively lowered rent or offered rent-free to workers. For example, Nguyen Thi Cuoc, the owner of a lodging house in Binh Nham ward, has offered rent-free (previously, the lowest room rate was 2.5 million VND and the highest was 4.5 million VND/room/month) to her worker renters until this epidemic wave is over. Minh Huong, the owner of a lodging house in Binh Chuan ward, discount the rent up to 50% for those having jobs and 100% for those who lost their jobs...
Nguyen Hoang Bao Tran, Vice President of Provincial Labor Confederation, said that due to the complicated epidemic situation, the lives and jobs of workers have been in difficulties, provincial Labor Confederation issued an official dispatch to direct all-level trade unions in the province coordinate with local authorities and organizations to actively call on business establishments and lodging house's owners to discount, exempt rent, and extend the time of paying rent for workers; At the same time, there are other supports to help workers overcome difficulties. The Provincial Labor Confederation also actively surveyed and learnt about the lives and employment of workers to promptly provide support. Trade unions at all levels have actively mobilized many resources to take care of workers. Trade unions at all levels are also urgently checking cases of F0, F1 and workers forced to quit their jobs to provide timely support.
Standing side by side with workers, Provincial Labor Confederation has called on organizations, businesses and benefactors to join hands for taking care of workers. Up to now, provincial trade unions have provided support for 516 workers affected by the Covid-19, with a total amount of over 416 million VND; visited and supported 31 frontline units of disease prevention and control, with a total amount of nearly 770 million VND (of which the amount from trade union budgets was more than 428 million VND, the amount from socialization was nearly 340 million VND), many other gifts and necessities were given...
Reported by Do Trong - Translated by Ngoc Huynh
