Smiles in the house "Union Shelter"
In the newly completed house that still smells of paint, Ms. Trinh Thi Hong Quyen - a member of the grassroots trade union of Ly Tan Phat Private Enterprise (Hai Rieng town, Song Hinh district, Phu Yen province) happily shows off her newly purchased items. The spacious house with an area of nearly 80 square meters - her family's dream for many years, thanks to the support of 60 million VND from the Phu Yen Provincial Federation of Labor, has now come true.
Previously, Ms. Quyen's family lived in a dilapidated and severely damaged level 4 house. Knowing Ms. Quyen's difficult housing situation, the company's Trade Union proposed that the Song Hinh District Labor Federation and the Provincial Labor Federation consider and provide financial support for her family to have a better house.
Ms. Quyen said, “I have been working as a stone quarry worker for nearly 10 years, but due to low income and my husband and children often being sick, I have not been able to build a house. After many years of hard work and saving, and thanks to the support of the Provincial Federation of Labor and the company's union, I have been able to build a more spacious house. I am very happy, now the house is solid and no longer afraid of storms like in previous years.”
For Ms. Nguyen Thi Diem, a part-time official of Xuan Hai commune, Song Cau town (Phu Yen), her family's previous stilt house was built with corrugated iron, old walls, seriously degraded, the roof was leaky, the pillars and beams were infested with termites, not safe for living, and had to be dismantled and rebuilt.
In the new house that is not yet fully completed, Ms. Diem shared: “Thanks to the commune union’s attention to proposing to the higher union and getting approval to support 60 million VND to build the Union Shelter. Together with the borrowed money and help from relatives, my family was able to build a new house and move in before the rainy season, helping me feel secure at work…”.
Spreading "Union Shelter" to all levels
According to Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Huyen - Vice President of Phu Yen Provincial Labor Federation, the "Union Shelter" program was launched by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor in 2007, with the aim of supporting union members and poor workers living in temporary houses, thatched houses, dilapidated houses, or severely damaged houses; or supporting families of union members and workers whose houses have been completely or partially damaged by natural disasters or fires.
In response to the program, the Standing Committee of the Phu Yen Provincial Federation of Labor promptly directed all levels of trade unions in the province to step up propaganda work, creating a wide spread of the program's purpose and humane meaning. At the same time, mobilized workers and civil servants to join hands to contribute to the fund to have a source of funding to support the construction of "Union Shelter" houses for union members with housing difficulties.
The Phu Yen Provincial Federation of Labor has established a Trade Union Shelter Fund Management Board, directing and guiding the grassroots trade union to grasp and survey the housing situation, life, and income of union members to have a support plan in the spirit of correct policy, correct target, timely, thoughtful...
Through that, nearly 400 houses named "Trade Union Shelter" were newly built and repaired, the family homes of union members were happier because they were supported and encouraged in a timely manner, both materially and spiritually. From the beginning of 2024 to now, the Phu Yen Provincial Federation of Labor has supported the repair and construction of 6 "Trade Union Shelter" houses with a total amount of over 360 million VND. From these houses, union members are more assured to work better, and are more attached to the enterprise and the Trade Union organization.
