There was a time... I felt sad
Regardless of hot weather or pouring rain, Ms. Pham Ngoc Phuong (worker of Can Tho Urban Joint Stock Company) and her colleagues still tirelessly drive garbage trucks through alleys and along the roads of Binh Thuy district to collect garbage.
Sharing with Lao Dong, Ms. Phuong said: "The most frightening thing is the stench from dead animals. Even when it's sunny, I wear several layers of masks but the smell of garbage still gets into my nose. Rhinitis is common. I get used to it, and the more I do it, the more I love the job."
Working hard from dawn until the streets are brightly lit, this female worker has often felt hurt and hurt because of unintentional words that insult her work.
"There are days when there is a lot of garbage, we have to work overtime to clean up, collect and transport it to the landfill to avoid congestion. During holidays and Tet, there is a lot of garbage, we have to work all night to collect it, many people do not understand and say insulting words, which makes me sad," Ms. Phuong confided.
Ms. Tong Thi Cam Nhu (worker at Can Tho Urban Joint Stock Company) shared: "The workload is not much, there are days when we come home with aches and pains from fatigue, we just hope for support from the government and people to complete our tasks."
Overcoming difficulties with the company
The work is hard but the salary is low and the price of goods is constantly rising, making the workers' lives difficult.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Cuong (worker at Can Tho Urban Joint Stock Company) said: The average salary of a couple is 4.8 million VND/month. This amount is used to pay 1.6 million VND/month for rent, electricity and water. The rest is used for food and household expenses.
It is known that the most difficult time for the female worker's family was when her child entered university. The couple's salary was less than 10 million VND and they had to borrow 2 million VND to pay for their child's tuition. There was a time when the couple skipped breakfast and only spent 50,000 VND/day on family meals.
"For the past 3 years, the company's budget has gradually become limited, so there are almost no bonuses. But thinking back, the company admits that we are in difficult times, so we try to accompany them, hoping that one day the company will develop so that we can improve," Ms. Cuong confided.
Previously, speaking with Lao Dong, Mr. Nguyen Phuc Nhu - Deputy Director, Chairman of the Trade Union of Can Tho Urban Joint Stock Company informed that currently, allowances and holiday and Tet bonuses for the company's workers are limited due to the company's limited budget. This makes many workers face difficulties in their daily lives when they have to tighten their spending.
The company has also submitted to the People's Committee of Can Tho City to consider changing the unit price for collecting and transporting household waste in Can Tho City in 2016 because the amount of household waste in the city is increasing, and workers are working hard. This is also an opportunity for the company to have more revenue to meet allowances and holiday bonuses for workers, helping workers continue to stick with their jobs.
