Front leader urges protection of workers' rights

President of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front (VFF) Nguyen Thien Nhan has called on relevant agencies to strengthen the enforcement of the social insurance law to protect workers’ legitimate rights.

Photo for Illustration (Photo: Thai Thien).

He made the request on April 8 at a meeting of an inter-agency inspection panel comprised of the VFF, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), the Government Inspectorate and the Vietnam Social Insurance Agency (VSIA).

A VGCL report finds that as of September 2014 more than 5,200 enterprises in the four provinces of Hung Yen, Bac Giang, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Tien Giang evaded paying contributions worth VND520 billion (US$23.9 million) to the social insurance fund.

The reports also finds other violations of the social insurance law in a number of enterprises based in these four provinces and points out that there was no close collaboration between State agencies in the enforcement of the social insurance law.

According to VGLC President Dang Ngoc Tung, Vietnam still has around 5.5 million workers not covered by social insurance while workers’ rights under social insurance have not been fully safeguarded.

The VFF president said that the MOLISA should offer guidance soon on the implementation of the Government decree on wages so that employers can create a salary schedule as a basis for insurance contributions.

Nhan also asked the VSIA to report to the Government on the current status of insurance premium payment delays and introduce appropriate measures to ensure the rights of workers covered by social insurance.

He added that the VFF will propose that the National Assembly include employers’ evasion of paying social insurance premiums and misappropriation of employees’ social insurance contributions in the revised Penal Code.

In 2015, the inter-agency panel plans to supervise the enforcement of the social insurance law at enterprises in six more provinces: Nam Dinh, Ha Nam, Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen, Dong Thap and An Giang.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)