According to the Social Insurance of Quang Ninh province, by the end of November 2024, the total outstanding debt of social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance in the area was about 200 billion VND, accounting for 2.7% of the 2024 collection plan. This has directly affected the rights of about 5,000 workers and laborers.
The cause of the debt is due to the high price of raw materials and the narrowing market, due to the heavy damage from storm No. 3 (Yagi) which makes it impossible for businesses to balance their finances to pay social insurance.
Among them, many businesses have stopped operating, dissolved or gone bankrupt, creating great pressure on the Social Insurance and Health Insurance funds.
Notably, as of the end of October 2024, FLC Ha Long Investment and Development Company Limited topped the list of social insurance debts with a debt of nearly 19 billion VND lasting 36 months, affecting 235 workers. Quang Ninh Garment Joint Stock Company, Bai Chay Quang Ninh Bus Joint Stock Company and Thanh Tuyen Group Joint Stock Company also had large debts, respectively 4.5 billion, 2.3 billion and 2.4 billion VND.
To minimize this situation, the Social Insurance of Quang Ninh province has implemented many solutions: In the first 11 months of the year, the Social Insurance agency conducted surprise inspections at 45 units, issued 25 decisions on administrative sanctions with a total amount of 461.3 million VND.
Coordinate propaganda and mobilize units with outstanding social insurance debts to implement policies and regulations, urge social insurance and health insurance payment to ensure benefits for employees.
For enterprises with long-term social insurance and health insurance arrears, uncooperative attitudes, repeated violations, and having been punished by the inspector but still continuing to violate, the provincial Social Insurance Department will make a list and send the files to the Department of Investigation Police, Crimes on Corruption, Economy, and Smuggling (Provincial Police) to handle related acts and violations in the field of social insurance and health insurance according to the 2015 Penal Code.
Mr. Nguyen Huy Thong - Deputy Director of Quang Ninh Social Insurance - said that the number of employees in enterprises owing social insurance accounts for about 1.5% of the total number of employees managed by the provincial Social Insurance (5,000/266,000 employees). To ensure the rights of employees, Quang Ninh Social Insurance is closely coordinating with departments and branches to strengthen inspection and urge units to fulfill their obligations to pay social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance.
"The revised Social Insurance Law 2024 will take effect from July 1, 2025 with strong sanctions such as late payment penalty of 0.03%/day, exit suspension for business owners owing social insurance and criminal prosecution.
These are solutions that will make business owners strictly comply with paying social insurance correctly and sufficiently for employees," said Mr. Thong.
