Thanks to the union, workers are settled down
More than 3 months have passed since the District 5 Labor Federation, Ho Chi Minh City handed over the "Union Shelter", Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy My, a teacher at Kindergarten 12, District 5, is still moved.
Talking to us on March 4, Ms. My recalled that in 2018, when she had just started a family and had a small child, her husband and her family in Binh Khanh commune, Can Gio district, Ho Chi Minh City built a small house with a roof covered with leaves, walls made of canopy and surrounded by leaves, sand and tiles. As time passed, the house quickly deteriorated.
"Many nights while sleeping, the rainwater leaked into the whole house and I had to wake up and move to another place to sleep. The floor has not been renovated for many years, but has sunk, cracked, and become weak, with fire ant spreading everywhere, Ms. My recalled.
However, due to difficult circumstances, the couple's salary is just enough to cover living expenses without savings, so it is not enough to repair the house. In mid-2024, when Ms. My was pregnant with her second child, knowing her situation, the District 5 Labor Federation surveyed and decided to support her to build a "Union Shelter" and hand it over near the end of 2024.
Ms. My said that her house has now been built with brick walls and iron columns to roof with corrugated iron. The bathroom and toilet area has also been newly built, making daily activities no longer as inconvenient as before.
Up to now, I still feel like a dream because I dont dare think my family has changed like that. Thanks to the union, we have settled down, sleep well at night, and no longer have to worry about running away. I am very grateful to the Trade Union organization, Ms. My said emotionally.
Ms. My is just one of many cases where the Ho Chi Minh City Trade Union supported the construction of a "Union Shelter", thereby settling down and stabilizing her work.
Ms. Le Thi Bich Hanh - President of the District 5 Labor Federation - said that every year the District Labor Federation has a support program to build "Union Shelter" for union members in difficult circumstances. In 2024 alone, the Federation of Labor supported the construction of two "Union Shelters" for two female teachers and workers with difficult housing circumstances.
The District 5 Labor Federation also supported and mobilized nearly 270 million VND to share with the family of a primary school employee in the district who died in a house fire. At the same time, a charity business was mobilized to support the education costs for the young child of the deceased union member who was studying from grade 8 to grade 12 and create job conditions and accommodation for the older child who had gone to work.
Thanks to the "Union Shelter", it is more attached to the enterprise
Ms. Nguyen Hong Bich - Chairwoman of the Trade Union of Hai Thanh Company Limited, Hiep Phuoc Industrial Park, Ho Chi Minh City - informed that every year the company's Trade Union mobilizes businesses to support funding to build "Union Shelter" for union members. In 2024, from the union's campaign, the company's board of directors supported 140 million VND (70 million VND/house) to build a "Union Shelter" for union members with housing difficulties.
Ms. Bich shared that the company has up to 70% of female employees, many of whom have worked and been with the company for many years, but due to difficult circumstances, she still cannot have her own roof.
"There are people whose houses are in disrepair in their hometown without money to repair them. There are people who save money to buy land in Ho Chi Minh City but do not have enough money to build a house. From the union's campaign, up to now, the board of directors of the enterprise has supported funding for the union to build 8 "Union Shelters" for union members. Thanks to the "Union Shelter", those workers have settled down, become more attached to the enterprise and work with peace of mind," Ms. Bich said proudly.
