Ms. Pham Thi Hue (47 years old, Nam Dinh) - a glue worker at Amara Vietnam Shoe Company Limited said that during this time, she worked overtime more than 3 hours a day, which increased her income to nearly 4 million VND/month.
According to Ms. Hue, overtime pay is calculated at 150% of normal working time. In addition, the company also supports her with an extra dinner when she stays to work.
“If I work during office hours, I only get one meal, but if I work 3 more hours, I get two meals. The company doesn’t cook here, so it costs 20,000 VND per meal, which helps increase my income,” said Ms. Hue.
Ms. Hue shared that although she knows that working overtime will make her body more tired, she still wants to work overtime. Because if she only works office hours, her income will only be about 6.5 million VND. With this income, it will be very difficult to ensure current living expenses.
“Working overtime regularly all month, the salary is always stable at 10.5 - 11 million VND. This is a good income in the countryside” - Ms. Hue said.
Although working on a contract basis and not being paid by time, Nguyen Thi Kieu Loan (29 years old) - a garment worker in Vinh Phuc still wants to work overtime every day.
“When we go to work at a company, we are very afraid of having to leave early. Because that is when the company has less work, and with less work, income will definitely be low, greatly affecting current and future benefits,” said Ms. Loan.
In a more detailed discussion with Lao Dong, Ms. Loan said that although overtime only gives her a dinner allowance of 20,000 VND, the extra time will help her produce more goods. When the quantity of goods increases, so does her income.
Compared to the time when she only worked until 5:15 p.m., Ms. Loan said that the highest income she achieved was 7.5 million VND. When the company had stable orders and workers worked overtime until 6:30 p.m., the female worker's income was always over 9 million VND/month.
Besides, according to Ms. Loan, the company calculates the Tet bonus based on the average actual monthly salary, so the monthly salary is very important.
“If I work overtime every month, I calculate that I will receive an average salary of 9 million VND. Adding other benefits, the Tet bonus will be up to 11 to 13 million VND. So I can enjoy Tet with peace of mind,” said Ms. Loan.
However, Ms. Loan still hopes that the company will consider supporting workers with a small amount of at least VND10,000/hour for overtime. According to Ms. Loan, this will encourage workers to stay and work overtime for more time when needed.
