Social insurance debt at record high
According to the Social Insurance of Quang Nam province, by the end of November 2024, the total amount of late payment of social insurance, health insurance (HI), unemployment insurance (UI), occupational accident and disease insurance (OHI) in the whole province was more than 317 billion VND. The rate of late payment is higher than the rate assigned by the Vietnam Social Insurance (5.62/3.34%). Of which, the largest is the business sector with a debt of more than 253 billion VND; administrative - career units, Party, Unions, commune, ward and town cadres... owe more than 23 billion VND. The rest is the amount of late payment of health insurance of subjects paid or supported by the state budget.
The whole province has 1,119 units that are 3 months or more behind in paying social insurance (more than 151 billion VND), many units have difficulty collecting due to dissolution, bankruptcy, disappearance, or cessation of operations... For units and businesses that are operating, the amount of late social insurance payment is from 100 million VND or the number of months late payment is from 12 months or more, the total is about 157 billion VND.
For example, Gift By Design Vietnam Co., Ltd. (Thang Binh district), after a long period of delay in paying social insurance of more than 1.8 billion VND and evading social insurance payments for employees, suddenly stopped operating since June 2020, causing hundreds of employees to face difficulties and problems in resolving social insurance regimes.
Tens of thousands of workers are insecure.
Director of Quang Nam Province Social Insurance Nguyen Thanh Danh said that the reason for the sudden increase in social insurance debt is due to the general economic situation facing difficulties.
“According to regulations, the social insurance agency will resolve the benefits to the extent that the enterprise and employee pay social insurance. Therefore, if the employer owes social insurance, the employee’s rights will be disadvantaged,” said Mr. Nguyen Thanh Danh.
Currently, at least 50,000 employees in 553 operating units and enterprises, with late social insurance payments of VND100 million or more, or late payments of 12 months or more, are facing the risk of having their health insurance cards and other insurance policies locked, because the agency or enterprise has a very large social insurance debt.
The number could be many times larger if we include the number of employees at 1,119 units and businesses that are 3 months or more late in payment.
"Many workers have been out of work for a long time but have not yet had their social insurance books closed. There are cases where they gave birth more than 12 months ago but have not yet had their maternity benefits resolved," a worker at Minh Hoang II Garment Company Ltd. worried.
Faced with this situation, the People's Committee of Quang Nam province has established an inspection team to rectify and collect social insurance arrears.
Most recently, Quang Nam imposed an administrative fine of VND150 million on Hai Huy Tourism Company Limited, in Cam Chau Ward, Hoi An, for being late in paying social insurance for 22 employees, totaling nearly VND580 million.
Mr. Nguyen Qui Quy - Deputy Director of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Quang Nam province - said that the interdisciplinary inspection team of Quang Nam province is determined to inspect and handle units that deliberately delay and frequently remind but do not fulfill their obligations to employees. If violations beyond their authority are discovered, they will be transferred to the competent authorities for handling.
