Workers demand rights for many years
To date, the total amount of late payment of social insurance (BHXH), health insurance (BHYT), and unemployment insurance (BHTN) of units and businesses throughout the province is more than 260 billion VND. Among these, many units have large and prolonged debts.
Through the reporter's monitoring, for about 6 years, dozens of workers who used to work at Phong Nien brick factory, belonging to Licogi Quang Ngai Joint Stock Company, have still been owed salaries, social insurance and social allowances. From 2020 to now, workers have repeatedly written petitions requesting the company to resolve related regimes. However, company leaders continuously postpone debt payments and only make empty promises.
Mr. Nguyen Cao Tinh, in Tho Phong commune, said: "I have been working at the Phong Nien brick factory workshop, belonging to Licogi Company since 1994. In October 2020, the company unilaterally terminated the contract, causing me not only to be unemployed but also to be owed wages. Besides me, there are more than 40 workers who are owed wages, owed social insurance, owed social allowances. Personally, I have worked there and am now sick, unable to do anything. I raise 3 children alone, Tet is coming and I don't know where to get money to cover expenses.
Licogi Quang Ngai Joint Stock Company is one of the long-term debtor enterprises, put on the special supervision list. The total amount this enterprise owes employees is more than 7.9 billion VND, with a debt period of 79 months.
In addition to Licogi, in Quang Ngai, there are also many units with large and long-term debts, directly affecting the rights of employees such as: Lilama 45. 3 Joint Stock Company owing nearly 8.6 billion VND (56 months); Hung Viet Real Estate Trading Co., Ltd. - Quang Ngai Branch owing 2.6 billion VND (49 months); Dung Quat Economic - Technology Secondary School Co., Ltd. owing over 1 billion VND (120 months); Dai Nguyen Production, Trading and Service Joint Stock Company owing more than 510 million VND (103 months)...
Mr. Do Vu Minh Tuan - Deputy Head of Revenue Management and Participant Development Department, Provincial Social Insurance - said: The biggest difficulty in debt recovery is that many businesses face financial difficulties, production and business, and are affected by natural disasters and epidemics. Many businesses have stopped operating, leading to very limited ability to pay social insurance and health insurance debts, directly affecting workers. However, besides that, there are still some units that intentionally delay and evade social insurance contributions. Over the past time, the Social Insurance agency has coordinated with departments, agencies, and sectors, specifically the Provincial Inspectorate and the Department of Home Affairs, to inspect Hung Viet Real Estate Company and has submitted to the Provincial People's Committee for administrative sanctions. However, so far, this business has not yet deducted and paid social insurance and health insurance for workers.
Many consequences arise
According to Mr. Dinh Quoc Tuan, Chairman of the Quang Ngai Provincial Labor Federation, besides some units ceasing operations and no longer able to pay social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance debts, the awareness of law compliance of a part of businesses is still very limited. Many businesses have not paid due attention to the legitimate rights of workers, underestimate the importance of social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance policies, and even disregard legal regulations related to the Labor Law and the Law on Social Insurance. This has and is greatly affecting the rights of workers.
When businesses are slow to pay or evade social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance, employees will not receive unemployment benefits, will not be paid for sickness, maternity, retirement, and death benefits by the social insurance agency; they cannot finalize compulsory social insurance books, even when transferring to another place. This makes employees lose faith in the insurance system and social security policies, creating conditions for bad actors to take advantage of and distort, increasing frustration and potentially risking political insecurity and social order and safety.
Reality shows that social insurance contributions are sometimes not considered by businesses as an obligation to be "handled immediately", leading to prolonged delays for many consecutive months. Besides, there are also businesses that intentionally do not seriously implement social insurance contribution obligations, and do not pay attention to the legitimate regimes and policies of employees.
On the employee's side, in many cases, they do not fully realize the importance of paying social insurance on time, or do not know how to protect their own rights when businesses are late in paying social insurance. On the other hand, due to concerns about complicated and lengthy legal procedures, employees have not resolutely fought to protect their rights. When the problem is discovered, the amount of social insurance debt has accumulated for a long time, even businesses are no longer able to continue to pay this debt.
For state management agencies, businesses can now choose to pay social insurance monthly, quarterly or every 6 months. In case businesses are late in paying, the social insurance agency will remind them, and at the same time reduce social insurance benefits for employees of the business. However, these sanctions are mainly deterrent, not strong enough to force businesses to consider paying social insurance on time as a mandatory and top priority obligation.
