Have land but more than 9 years have not built workers' housing
On October 21, speaking with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, a representative of the Inspectorate of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Dong Nai province said that after conclusion No. 09/KL-TT on compliance with the law on land, water resources and environmental protection at Pou Chen Vietnam Co., Ltd. (Hoa An ward, Bien Hoa city), the specialized department of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Dong Nai province inspected and made a record of handling.
At the same time, if the company does not have the need to implement the housing project for workers and technical infrastructure (about 4 hectares), it will prepare procedures to request the People's Committee of Dong Nai province to consider land recovery according to regulations.
According to Conclusion No. 09/KL-TT dated December 26, 2023 of the Inspectorate of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Dong Nai province, Hung Nghiep Joint Stock Company Pou Chen Vietnam Co., Ltd. (now Pou Chen Vietnam Co., Ltd.) was approved by the Prime Minister to lease 163,380m2 of land in Hoa An commune (now Hoa An ward, Bien Hoa city) to build a sports shoe factory in 1995.
On September 30, 2004, Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee signed Decision No. 4633/QD.UBT approving the company to lease 124,608.7m2 to invest in expanding production, production service area and workers' housing.
On March 10, 2005, Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee signed Decision No. 1012/QD-UBND approving the detailed planning at a scale of 1/500 for the production expansion area, production service area and workers' housing area in Hoa An commune, Bien Hoa city.
On February 4, 2012, Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee signed Decision No. 366/QD-UBND, approving the partial adjustment of the detailed construction plan that the Provincial People's Committee had approved in Decision No. 1012/QD-UBND; in which the People's Committee approved the content of the project implementation progress (public service works - kindergarten; workers' housing) to complete the construction of "workers' housing, kindergarten works, other works and complete the technical infrastructure system of the entire project" in the period of the second quarter of 2012 - 2014.
Up to now, the kindergarten project has been completed and put into use. As for the housing project for workers, by the time the inspection team worked (more than 9 years), the Company had not yet implemented the investment and construction of this project item.
Proposing Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee to consider land recovery
In the working minutes dated July 7, 2023 (confirmed by the inspection team, the company and the People's Committee of Hoa An ward), it was confirmed that the delay in implementing this item of the project violated land use as prescribed in Point i, Clause 1, Article 64, Land Law 2013 (the area of the project being delayed is about 4 hectares, including housing projects and technical infrastructure items in the vicinity).
According to the company's explanation in Official Dispatch No. 13072023-BCGT dated July 13, 2023, the Company has not implemented this item of the project because the Company itself determined that the housing needs of workers are not much because workers rent houses outside (the Company supports living expenses for workers); the Company will prepare procedures to request the People's Committee of Dong Nai province to approve the Company to expand production and business on this land.
From the above violations, the Inspector of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Dong Nai province requested Pou Chen Vietnam Co., Ltd. to quickly deploy investment in the project "workers' housing and other works, completing the project's technical infrastructure system" within the prescribed time (if the project implementation time is extended).
At the same time, it is recommended that the leaders of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Dong Nai province assign the Planning Department to review and consider handling the land area of about 4 hectares where the company has not yet implemented the housing project for workers and adjacent technical infrastructure due to violations of land use.
In case the company does not have the need to build housing for workers, it must prepare procedures to request the Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee to consider land recovery according to regulations.
According to a union representative, the company currently has about 14,500 employees.
