Workers "waiting" for Tet bonus
Working at an electronics company in Bac Giang province, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang (name changed) said that up to this point, she has not seen the company announce any Tet bonuses.
“Last year, at this time, the company “revealed” how to calculate the Tet bonus based on the assessment of capacity, but this year the company has not provided any information. Usually, it is not until the 27th or 28th of the 12th lunar month that the company transfers the Tet bonus to the workers’ accounts,” said Ms. Hang.
Last year, Ms. Hang received a Tet bonus of 4.5 million VND. Currently, this female worker's total income (including overtime) is 10 million VND/month. She scrapes together this amount to cover her family's living expenses.
In Bac Ninh, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tinh (name changed) - a worker at an electronics company located in Que Vo Industrial Park - said she did not know how much this year's Tet bonus would be.
“But as far as I know, this year the company calculates the Tet bonus based on the work completion rating. If a worker is rated A, B, or C, he or she will receive 100% of a month's basic salary; if he or she is rated excellent, he or she will receive an additional bonus; if he or she is rated D, 50% of his or her basic salary will be deducted,” said Ms. Tinh.
Last year, Ms. Tinh was ranked B, received a New Year bonus of 80% of her basic salary, and a Lunar New Year bonus of 100% of her basic salary. With a basic salary of 5 million VND, she received a total Tet bonus of 9 million VND.
“This year, I don’t know what category I will be in, but I expect to receive the same calculation as last year. My current basic salary is 5.2 million VND/month, so if I am still classified as A, B, C, I expect to receive more Tet bonus this year than last year,” Ms. Tinh shared, but added that the calculation of Tet bonus may change.
According to the female worker, in 2024, from her actual work, she saw that the company had more orders than in 2023.
Ms. Tinh is from Tuyen Quang. Her husband is a freelancer with an unstable income. She and her husband are raising two children, and life is still difficult and deprived. She has to rent a room alone in Bac Ninh city; the rent alone is 900,000 VND/month, not including electricity and water bills.
Timely detection and solutions to ensure rights
Speaking to reporters on December 16, Mr. Tran Van Hieu - Chairman of the Trade Union of Industrial Parks in Bac Ninh province - said that, through the union's understanding, the production and business situation of electronics enterprises in industrial parks in 2024 is stable. Many enterprises have a Tet bonus of a 13th month salary, including enterprises calculated based on the basic salary, some units calculated based on total income...
According to the Chairman of the Trade Union of Industrial Zones in Bac Ninh Province, last year some enterprises also calculated seniority, so there were cases where workers received Tet bonuses equal to 3 months of basic salary. Mr. Hieu said that currently in Bac Ninh Province there are about 1,000 electronics enterprises.
According to the plan to organize activities to care for union members and workers on the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2025, the Trade Union of Industrial Parks of Bac Ninh province and grassroots trade unions proactively coordinate with functional agencies to grasp the situation, inspect and supervise employers in implementing legal regulations on salary and bonus regimes during Tet.
Along with that, promptly detect and have solutions to ensure the rights of union members and workers in enterprises facing difficulties, unpaid wages, unable to pay bonuses, owners fleeing or dissolving, going bankrupt...
Strengthen dialogue and negotiation activities with employers on production plans, salary payment, Tet bonus payment...
