Large demand, narrow entrance
7 years of attachment to FUTA - Ha Son Transport Joint Stock Company, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tu Anh (Ban Lau commune, Lao Cai province) was used to the "going early and returning late" rhythm of life, traveling nearly 80km every day.
“Some days, I have to wake up at 4 am, and it's late for dinner, I only have time to eat and drink casually and then go to sleep. Working for a long time is also tiring, but resting I don't know what else to do,” Ms. Anh recounted.
The long journey not only worns down her health but also increases living costs. Only when the business arranged housing for workers did her life become less stressful. "Since moving to live near the company, I have saved both time and costs. I still hope to buy a house to settle down, but with my current income, it is really difficult" - the female employee said.
Reality shows that the demand for social housing in Lao Cai is very large, especially among workers in industrial zones and clusters.
Many projects when opened for sale have attracted a large number of registration dossiers, in some places the number of registrations is 2-3 times the number of apartments. Many workers, even if qualified, still have to wait or miss opportunities.
Such as the Social Housing Project in the left bank of the Red River, Lao Cai ward with a scale of more than 700 apartments built by the Hacom-Thanh Dong Joint Venture, which was basically "filled" before the project was completed. Or the Social Housing Project in the residential area adjacent to road B6 has a number of registered applications 2 to 3 times higher than the total number of apartments sold in the projects.
Meanwhile, the common income level of workers is 7 - 8 million VND/month, making it difficult to accumulate to buy a house. "I have also researched buying social housing, but there are many procedures, strict conditions. The salary of both husband and wife combined still makes it difficult to keep up" - Mr. Tran Van Hung - a worker at Unico Global YB Company said.
Not only financial difficulties, access to information and completion of dossiers are also major barriers. Many workers do not clearly understand the process and criteria for review, leading to dossiers being returned or abandoned halfway.
Opening up a way for workers to settle down
According to statistics, Lao Cai province currently has 6 social housing projects under implementation with a total of 5,126 units. However, this number still does not meet the actual needs.
Faced with that situation, the role of the Trade Union organization is raised more clearly than ever. According to Mr. Phan Huy Cuong - Vice Chairman of the Lao Dong Labor Federation, Head of the Trade Union Committee of Industrial Parks of Lao Cai province, the housing needs of workers are very large, but access to policies still has many obstacles, especially in procedures and capital sources.
Many union members have needs but do not clearly understand the regulations, or encounter difficulties when completing dossiers. This is a point that the Trade Union organization is involved in to provide timely support" - Mr. Cuong said.
In the coming time, the Lao Cai Provincial Labor Federation will direct trade union levels to strengthen the review of actual needs, promote consulting and direct guidance for workers on conditions and procedures for buying social housing; coordinate with functional agencies and investors to provide transparent information about projects; connect with credit institutions to help workers access preferential loans more conveniently.
We determine that trade unions should not only stop at proposing, but must accompany workers throughout the process of accessing policies. When these bottlenecks are removed, the opportunity for highland workers to settle down will be clearer" - Mr. Phan Huy Cuong emphasized.
