18 March 2024 at 13:44 (Updated on 19 March 2024 at 10:27)
Garment and footwear workers from the delta seek alternative jobs as threats of mass layoffs loom, and while many want to return home, it remains their last resort
A workers’ dormitory in Tân Tạo Ward, Bình Tân District, Hồ Chí Minh City. PHOTO: Thành Nguyễn.
HỒ CHÍ MINH CITY, VIỆT NAM – Every weekend, workers at Adidas supplier Pouyuen swap their hairnets for vendor hats. Facebook groups then turn into online bazaars, teeming with sales posts of ready-to-eat meals, vegetables, fruit, snacks and sweets.
These side gigs that started as a way of coping with the reduced hours and layoffs during the Covid-19 pandemic have now evolved into full-time commitments for many of these workers, most of them women.
TTCT – Lương tối thiểu, vốn gắn liền với mức sống của người lao động và chi phí của doanh nghiệp sử dụng lao động, trở thành đề tài nóng ở hàng loạt nước Đông Nam Á, bao gồm Việt Nam, trong thời gian qua.
Kế hoạch tăng lương tối thiểu của chính quyền Thái Lan đang gây nhiều tranh luận. Ảnh: HRM Asia
Báo chí các nước giật tít gần như đồng loạt: “Tăng lương ở ASEAN gây lo ngại cho các ngành hưởng lợi từ dịch chuyển chuỗi cung ứng” (Nikkei Asia 2-7), “Thủ tướng Thái Lan hối thúc ASEAN cùng tăng lương tối thiểu” (Thailand Business News 22-1), “Indonesia có chi phí tổ chức kinh doanh cao nhất ASEAN-5” (Jakarta Globe 24-6), “Lương tối thiểu của Philippines cao nhất trong khu vực” (BusinessWorld Online 13-3), “Malaysia đứng thứ tư về lương trung bình ở Đông Nam Á” (thesun.my 8-6).
VNE – By Hong Chieu January 31, 2024 | 09:19 am GMT+7
Workers watch over the corn transportation process at the Constanta Port in Romania, May 2022. Photo by AFP
Certain Vietnamese in Romania are committing illegal acts, including gambling and illegal residence, tarnishing their reputation, the labor ministry said.
In a document recently sent to businesses who have workers in Romania, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has called for behaviors like drinking, gambling and the illegal residence of Vietnamese workers in Romania to stop. Romania is a potential market with high demand for foreign workers, including Vietnamese, the ministry added.
Previously on Jan. 20, upon a visit to the Vietnamese Embassy in Romania as part of his trip in Europe, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked for a check-up on companies sending workers overseas after hearing about issues from the Vietnamese community abroad.
[That doesn’t look like a Tet gift, but a marketing solicitation for the finance firm – PTH]
VNE – By Le Tuyet January 28, 2024 | 11:00 am GMT+7
Workers purchase products at a cashless Tet market event organized by the HCMC union, Jan. 22, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/An Phuong
Workers at several unions have been told they will receive Tet gifts worth VND300,000 ($12), under the condition that they open a credit card with a finance firm.
Earlier this month, Tuan, president of a workers’ union in Dong Nai Province, received 150 Tet gifts, each worth around VND300,000, from the General Confederation of Labor.
However, instead of cash, transactions or physical products, workers were required to open an account at the HD Saison financial company, fill in information, download the app and open a credit card with a VND5 million limit. Workers were instructed to purchase products on e-commerce platforms, Tuan added.
Họ nghèo khó, ngày ngày ngóng việc, ai gọi làm gì thì đi, ai nhờ gì thì làm nấy. Mấy hôm nay Hà Nội mưa rét thấu xương, họ vẫn gắng ra đứng ở “chợ người” đốt lửa chờ việc đến mình để mong có suất cơm đầy cho vợ con.
Mang theo củi sưởi ấm để ngóng việc ở “chợ người” – Ảnh: TÂM LÊ
Sắp 7h sáng, trời Hà Nội vẫn còn mù tối, mưa phùn khiến rét càng thêm tê tái. Ở khu chợ đặc biệt này bắt đầu xuất hiện những người mang theo một khúc củi chống rét để ngóng việc.
Thằng con út tôi sinh năm nào thì tôi ra chợ người Hà Nội năm đó, giờ nó 23 tuổi rồi, thời gian nhanh quá.
(Sen Nguyen is a Vietnamese journalist – the author of this article won the 2023 Global Media Competition on Labour Migration, hosted by the International Labour Organization - ILO. Her entry, titled “Risk, rewards and remittances in Vietnam’s Nghe An province” published in Al Jazeera, was chosen out of more than 400 entries from 85 countries. SeeILO‘s announcement here)
39 Vietnamese people died being smuggled into the UK in 2019. Most were from Nghe An province.
Hoang Thi Ai holds up her phone showing a photo of her son, Hoang Van Tiep, who she later discovered was among the 39 people who were found dead in a truck container in Essex, the UK, in 2019 [File: Hau Dinh/AP Photo]
In late October 2019, ambulance crews in the United Kingdom were called to a scene of horror.
On a quiet road in a nondescript industrial park in Essex, the bodies of 39 people were found when the heavy steel doors of a refrigerated truck trailer were opened.
The victims had suffocated. Death came slowly as oxygen levels inside the airtight container depleted for the 28 men, eight women and three children as their attempt to be smuggled into the UK ended tragically.
The youngest were two 15-year-olds. All were from Vietnam and the majority were from one province – Nghe An.
“I’m sorry Dad and Mum,” 26-year-old Pham Thi Tra My tapped out in a final text message she composed for her parents.
“Mum, I love Dad and you so much. I’m dying because I can’t breathe … I am so sorry, Mum,” she wrote in a phone message that was widely reported on at the time.
The message was delivered long before her death was officially confirmed by police investigators in the UK.
Video Duration 01 minutes 41 seconds01:41Vietnamese family fears their daughter may be among Essex victims
In 2021, seven people were jailed in the UK for a total of 92 years for their role in the deaths of the 39. This week, an eighth suspect, described as a “right-hand man” in the smuggling ring, was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in prison by a UK court.
VNE – By Tat Dat December 5, 2023 | 08:58 am GMT+7
Workers at a garment and textile factory in Tan Do Industrial Park in the southern province of Long An. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran
Garmex Saigon Corporation, which recently laid off 1,945 workers, told the Ho Chi Minh Securities Exchange its losses have been increasing in direct proportion to output.
“We have reorganized our setup, cut our payroll, and temporarily ceased production to minimize losses,” CEO Nguyen Minh Hang said.
After the layoffs this year, the firm had only 37 employees left at the end of the third quarter.
Tình trạng di cư gia tăng trên khắp châu Âu, bao gồm cả sự gia tăng lớn nhất về số người xin tị nạn kể từ cuộc khủng hoảng di cư 2015-2016, đang thúc đẩy sự ủng hộ đối với các đảng cực hữu chống nhập cư, từ đó có khả năng định hình lại nền chính trị châu Âu trong nhiều năm tới.
Từ điểm nhấn mới nhất tại Hà Lan…
Sự ủng hộ dành cho đảng theo chủ nghĩa dân tộc ủng hộ đường lối cứng rắn hơn chống nhập cư đang tăng mạnh trong các cuộc thăm dò dư luận ở châu Âu gần đây. Và, những đảng này cũng đã tham gia vào chính phủ ở các nước, từ Italy cho đến Phần Lan, khi mối lo ngại về tốc độ tăng trưởng kinh tế chậm chạp cũng như ảnh hưởng từ cuộc xung đột tại Ukraine và Trung Đông gia tăng.
Chính trị gia cực hữu Geert Wilders bày tỏ sự vui mừng khi đảng của ông giành thắng lợi trong cuộc bầu cử Quốc hội Hà Lan. Ảnh: BBC
Hàng trăm tỷ USD đầu tư trực tiếp nước ngoài trở thành động lực tăng trưởng của Việt Nam nhiều năm qua, nhưng cũng khiến kinh tế trong nước ngày càng phụ thuộc vào ngoại lực.
Từ con số 2 triệu USD, Việt Nam đã thu hút 524 tỷ USD vốn đăng ký FDI sau 35 năm. Đến hết năm 2022, hơn 36.000 dự án đang hoạt động với tổng vốn 441 tỷ USD, đã giải ngân 57%.
Ba làn sóng đầu tư nước ngoài tại Việt Nam sau 35 năm
Trade unions, youth movements, and Palestine solidarity groups have organized protests and blockades across Europe, opposing the role of their governments in Israel’s genocidal war on PalestiniansNovember 03, 2023 by Peoples Dispatch
Trade unionists of PAME carry out flash protest inside Athens International Airport (Photo: PAME)
As Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza continues unabated for the fourth week straight, workers across Europe have stepped up their solidarity with Palestine and organized resistance to the supply of arms from various parts of the continent to Israel.
On Thursday, November 2, Greek trade unionists from the All Workers Militant Front (PAME) held a flash protest inside the Athens International Airport in solidarity with Palestine. The protest started in front of the offices of the Israeli airline El Al with protesters then marching inside the airport denouncing the genocidal war against Palestinians.
In their statement, PAME harshly criticized Israeli war crimes in Gaza. “No one can remain silent when the death toll from Israeli bombing in Gaza exceeds 8,000, including over 3000 children and over 1000 women,” PAME said.
“No one can remain silent when a child is killed in Gaza every 10 minutes. No one can remain silent when there are more than 15,000 wounded in Gaza without the necessary treatment because of the suffocating blockade by the murderer state of Israel.”
PAME has also demanded that the Greek government stop all economic, political, and military cooperation with Israel. The union called for an end to the facilitation of bases and other infrastructure by Greece to the US, NATO, and Israel.
PAME has also called for the immediate recognition of the Palestinian state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Meanwhile, on October 31, transport unions in Belgium including the Belgian Union of Transport Workers (BTB), BBTK, ACV-Transcom, and ACV Puls issued a joint statement announcing their resolve to refuse loading or unloading weapons in transit to Israel, which are destined for the genocidal war against the Palestinians.
In their statement, the trade unions said that while genocide is taking place in Palestine, workers at various airports in Belgium note the arrival of arms shipments to the conflict zone. Workers’ participation in loading or unloading these weapons “means supporting regimes that kill innocent people,” the statement said.
In the UK, on October 31, activists from Palestine Action blockaded the road to the headquarters of Elbit Systems in Bristol, notorious for manufacturing parts for Israeli drones and other pilotless aircraft.
DKU activist blocading Terma A/S in Soborg (Photo: DKU)
On October 30, in Demark, activists from various anti-war groups including the Communist Youth of Denmark (DKU), blocked all entrances to the Søborg plant of the Danish arms company, Terma, in protest against its sale of weapons and equipment to the Israeli Defense Forces.
According to reports, the Aarhus-based defense contractor supplies Israel with equipment for F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, which Israel uses to bomb Gaza. Terma has also been accused of sending arms for the war in Yemen.
During the blockade at Terma, DKU members hung up blood-stained children’s clothes to symbolize the consequences of Terma’s bloody business for civilians in Palestine.
Dagbladet Arbejderen has reported that the protestors have demanded that authorities publish all information about Terma’s activities and disseminate that information in a way that allows the people of Denmark to understand exactly what the company is doing.
They also demanded and end to the manufacturing of weapons parts used by the Israeli military and the termination of their agreements with F35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin, which supplies the Israeli genocidal apparatus.
As of November 3, the ongoing genocidal war carried out by Israel in the Gaza Strip since October 7, has claimed the lives of more than 9,000 people, wounded more than 30,000 people, and displaced over 1.4 million.
A programmer works on computers in an IT office. Photo by Shutterstock/ProStockStudio
Having worked for a large foreign technology corporation in Hanoi for more than five years, data analysis expert Le Thai Ha was shocked to get suddenly fired recently.
“Because the tech market has fluctuated a lot, our corporation officially announced a mass layoff, mostly of senior positions, including mine,” she said.
Despite being aware of the difficulties of the market in general, and of the corporation in particular, its decision to cut back was still a big surprise to Ha.
This video provides an introduction on the ILO Vision Zero Fund’s work to promote workplace safety and health on coffee farms in the Central Highlands of Viet Nam through training and collective action. In doing so, the project engages with national and international partners, including multi-national companies and NGOs. Farmers appreciate the training approach and share their learning and good practices for workplace improvements with other farmers in their community which promotes sustainability and scaling.
Date issued: 01 October 2023 | Size/duration: 00:07:38
Phần lớn người khuyết tật Việt Nam sống ở vùng nông thôn, có cuộc sống rất khó khăn, đặc biệt là người khuyết tật bị ảnh hưởng bởi chất độc da cam/dioxin trong chiến tranh
Lễ kỷ niệm 30 năm Ngày Quốc tế về người khuyết tật (3/12). (Ảnh: Hoàng Hiếu/TTXVN)
Hiện nay Việt Nam có khoảng 7 triệu người khuyết tật, chiếm hơn 7,06% dân số từ 2 tuổi trở lên, trong đó người khuyết tật nặng và đặc biệt nặng chiếm khoảng 28,9%, khoảng 10% người khuyết tật thuộc hộ nghèo. Số liệu này cho thấy, Việt Nam là một trong những nước có tỷ lệ người khuyết tật khá cao so với tổng dân số trong khu vực châu Á-Thái Bình Dương.
Đây là thông tin được đưa ra tại lễ kỷ niệm 30 năm Ngày Quốc tế về người khuyết tật (3/12) và diễn đàn “Lắng nghe tiếng nói của người khuyết tật” do Ủy ban quốc gia về người khuyết tật Việt Nam, Chương trình phát triển của Liên hợp quốc (UNDP) và Hội Người khuyết tật thành phố Hà Nội phối hợp tổ chức hôm nay 1/12.
Extreme heat and flooding could erase $65bn in apparel export earnings from four Asian countries by 2030 as it jeopardises the health of the workers, new research has revealed.
The slow growth from extreme climate conditions will also result in one million fewer jobs being created, found the study by Cornell University and Schroders.
The research mapped out the climate vulnerability of 32 apparel production hubs of six global brands in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Pakistan and Vietnam. It found flooding and heat pose material risks to entire fashion industry, leading to a 22 per cent decline in export earnings.
These projections are expected to rise significantly by 2050, representing about 69 per cent in foregone export earnings and 8.64 million fewer jobs, warned the researchers.
But brands, investors or regulators are not prioritising in planning for these risks in the countries that collectively represent 18 per cent of global apparel export due to the industry’s focus on mitigation rather than adaptation measures, said the study.
CVD 