Regarding the fact that about 400 workers at the Da Phuoc Waste Treatment Complex (VWS) in Da Phuoc Commune, Binh Chanh District have not received their salaries and bonuses before Tet, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hung - Chairman of VWS Trade Union - said that according to the labor agreement signed between VWS and the Executive Board of the Trade Union, every month, no later than the 20th, a portion of the salary will be advanced and on the 5th of the following month, the entire salary of the previous month will be paid to the workers. However, up to now, the workers have not received their salaries and year-end bonuses.
According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hung, workers still come to the work site but gather in front of the security gate and do not go to the landfill to work. "When they receive their salary and bonus, they will return to work as usual," Mr. Hung said.
According to the Chairman of VWS's Trade Union, the main reason why about 400 employees at the company have not received their salaries and year-end bonuses is because Ho Chi Minh City has not paid the company for waste treatment for about 7-8 months.
“This situation has caused the company to face serious financial difficulties and make it unable to pay salaries and bonuses to its employees,” said Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hung.
Mr. Hung added that most of the workers are in difficult circumstances, and being owed wages makes them extremely upset and worried, especially when Tet is approaching.
The VWS Trade Union Chairman also informed that today (January 24) is the last working day for state agencies and banks before the Tet holiday. Not receiving their salaries has made workers even more uneasy. They are gathering at the company premises to wait for official information from the Board of Directors.
"On behalf of the Executive Board of the Trade Union, I hope the company's Board of Directors will find a reasonable solution so that workers can work with peace of mind and carry out the work of protecting a green, clean, and beautiful environment for the city," said Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hung.
Speaking to Lao Dong, a representative of the Da Phuoc Waste Treatment Complex (VWS) said that the company is still open 24/7 to receive waste for treatment. However, the company's workers have voluntarily stopped working because they have not received their salaries and Tet bonuses.
"This is beyond the company's subjective intention, so we respectfully request that Ho Chi Minh City quickly resolve the debt so that the company can pay salaries to its employees," said a VWS representative.
The company's Board of Directors has also encouraged workers and hoped that they would accompany the company to wait for Ho Chi Minh City to pay the debt. "As soon as we receive the money from Ho Chi Minh City, we will proceed to pay salaries and bonuses to workers," the VWS representative emphasized.
"The delay in debt payment has caused many difficulties in VWS's operations, making it impossible to continue paying salaries and benefits to foreign experts and employees, leading to the risk of waste overload in the city," added a VWS representative.
This afternoon (January 24), the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee will meet with the Da Phuoc Waste Treatment Complex (VWS) to find a solution to this problem.
As of March 2024, Da Phuoc landfill has received more than 28 million tons of waste. This number exceeds the design capacity (24 million tons). Currently, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment is temporarily paying for the amount of waste received in excess of the design capacity at a unit price of 360,000 VND/ton. From March to the present, the amount of waste has increased significantly.
Currently, waste in Ho Chi Minh City is brought to two centralized waste treatment areas: Da Phuoc Waste Treatment Complex (Da Phuoc landfill) and Tay Bac Solid Waste Treatment Area (Phuoc Hiep landfill). Of which, more than 60% of waste is brought to Da Phuoc.
