Lao Dong Newspaper takes action, 77 workers are fully covered by social insurance
Talking to us at the end of July 2025, Ms. Ngo Thi Hong, a former employee of the import-export Transport Service Trading Company T.T (old Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City), her voice full of enthusiasm recalled that thanks to the participation of Lao Dong Newspaper, 77 employees of this company have helped reclaim their social insurance benefits after many years of being "ybding".
Exactly 2 years ago, in July 2023, Ms. Ngo Thi Hong represented dozens of employees of T.T Company to Lao Dong Newspaper about this enterprise owing them social insurance, causing many difficulties in their lives.
In the petition, Ms. Hong wrote: The company has no orders, notify employees to take a leave of absence without salary and no allowances. Most of the employees are poor and cannot wait, so they have asked to quit their jobs to have their company finalize, have their social insurance books returned and registered to receive unemployment benefits or apply for jobs elsewhere. However, the company repeatedly promised to close the social insurance books for employees but did not do so. We don't know what to do."
Ms. Hong said that she started working for the Long Thanh branch, Dong Nai province of T.T Company in September 2020. In early December 2022, Ms. Hong quit her job because the company announced few orders, only to learn that the company only paid social insurance for her from September 2020 to April 2021, and after that, it would not pay anymore, even though her social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance contributions were deducted monthly.
Not only Ms. Hong but dozens of other workers are in a similar situation. When the employee complained, the company repeatedly announced that it would close and return the social insurance book and then... broke the promise, causing the employee to be very confused because they did not know when the social insurance book would be closed and returned.
During the verification, we went to the headquarters of T.T Company. After completing the administrative procedures, the security guard said that the company's responsible person said he would not let reporters come up to meet to discuss and kept informing the boss that he had left.
Meanwhile, right in front of the door, the company still announced the recruitment of 50 skilled workers, with an income of 8 million VND to 15 million VND/month and "advertised" to implement all regimes prescribed by the State.
After verifying at Thu Duc City Social Insurance at that time, we were informed that T.T Company only paid social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance for 23 employees and started owing them from May 2021. By the end of June 2023, this enterprise still owed more than VND 2.47 billion in social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance.
After having accurate information, we advised the employees to complain at the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Thu Duc City at that time to help labor conciliators invite businesses to conciliate labor disputes, as a basis for filing a lawsuit against the company in court when necessary. According to the working minutes on July 11, 2023, the company representative admitted that he had not paid social insurance in full for 77 employees and pledged to pay social insurance in full for employees no later than July 31, 2023. However, the company continued to... break its promise.
We also regularly contacted Thu Duc City Social Insurance at that time to reflect the situation, suggest that the Social Insurance invite T.T Company to work and commit to paying social insurance in full. Faced with pressure from authorities and information published in Lao Dong Newspaper, T.T Company began to pay social insurance to employees in the form of "contributing" in installments.
On the part of employees, because they want to quickly receive social insurance benefits, many people have also contacted us to ask for intervention with the authorities. Ms. Hong even texted us asking us to give us her bank account number to deposit in advance payment, gas, and phone number. We also clearly answer readers that Lao Dong Newspaper is an agency of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, with the function of protecting the legitimate and legal rights and interests of employees, and will try to do the best it can to protect employees.
Finally, after nearly 5 months of Lao Dong Newspaper's involvement, T.T Company also had to pay all social insurance for 77 employees who were previously "ybor".
Resolved social insurance benefits
The case of T.T Company is just one of many cases where employees are able to fully pay social insurance thanks to the participation of Lao Dong Newspaper. However, not all cases have such a "happy" ending. There are cases where when employees report, we investigate and then know that the business owner has returned home, the company is only "confirmed" but has no "soul", no longer able to pay social insurance to employees. It is worth mentioning that this condition is not rare.
From the reality of life and reflection of the press, including Lao Dong Newspaper and functional agencies, at the 7th session, the 15th National Assembly issued Resolution 142/2024/QH15, assigning the Government to stipulate the subjects, conditions, support levels, order, and procedures for settling pension and death benefits for employees in cases where employers are no longer able to pay social insurance to employees before July 1, 2024.
To concretize the above resolution, the Government has recently issued Decree 158/2025/ND-CP, in which Chapter V stipulates the pension and death regime for employees in cases where employees are no longer able to pay compulsory social insurance. The Decree has clearly stipulated cases where employers are no longer able to pay social insurance to employees and how to handle this situation.
The most important thing is to stipulate the use of the payment amount equal to 0.03%/day calculated on the amount of social insurance, unemployment insurance for late payment, evasion and the number of days of late payment, evasion to the social insurance fund, unemployment insurance fund according to the Social Insurance Law 2024 to finance the settlement of pension and death benefits for employees in cases where employees are no longer able to pay compulsory social insurance. With this regulation, hundreds of thousands of employees will have their social insurance benefits completely resolved.
For journalists like us, the greatest joy is when receiving the notice thanks to the participation of Lao Dong Newspaper, where employees have their legitimate rights protected.
