Pursuing to the end to demand rights for workers
In 2023, many employees (NLĐ) of Haprosimex Group Joint Stock Company sent complaints to Lao Dong Newspaper about the enterprise's prolonged social insurance (BHXH) debt of about 15 billion VND.
This social insurance debt has caused hundreds of workers to fall into a situation where their benefits are "frozen". Many people cannot finalize their social insurance books to retire, are not granted maternity benefits, sickness benefits, death benefits or other social security benefits even though they have worked for many years and contributed to businesses.
From workers' reflections, Lao Dong Newspaper reporters have continuously intervened, writing many articles reflecting the current situation, recording the thoughts and aspirations of workers and closely following the handling process of functional agencies. The articles not only reflect the story of a single business but also sound the alarm about the prolonged social insurance debt situation, directly affecting the rights of workers.
Also with the spirit of protecting employees to the end, reporters of Lao Dong Newspaper spent a lot of time conducting a series of investigative articles on the situation of social housing policy (NƠXH) fraud in Bac Ninh - a locality with hundreds of thousands of workers working in industrial parks.
Through actual recording, the reporter group discovered many unusual signs in the management and use of social housing. It is noteworthy that many people do not meet the conditions, even many foreigners, living in apartments that were originally built to support low-income people and workers.
The series of articles reflected and attracted public attention, posing an urgent requirement to review, inspect, and rectify the management of social housing, ensuring that the State's social security policies reach the right beneficiaries.
Achievement from perseverance
Regarding the case of social insurance debt at Haprosimex Company, after many years of existence, from the reflection of Lao Dong Newspaper, along with the involvement of the social insurance agency, functional agencies and pressure from public opinion, by the end of June 2023, the enterprise had completed the retroactive payment of the entire social insurance debt of about 15 billion VND for employees.
This result paves the way for resolving the rights of more than 500 workers who were affected by prolonged social insurance debts for more than a decade. Many people have had their social insurance books closed to carry out retirement procedures; many cases have been resolved for maternity benefits, death benefits and other benefits after many years of waiting.
In an exchange with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper after the rights were resolved, many workers said that what they felt most clearly was not only the money or the social insurance book being completed, but also the trust that had been restored. A Haprosimex worker shared: "When Lao Dong Newspaper got involved, we felt we were no longer alone on the journey to claim legitimate rights.
For the series of articles about social housing in Bac Ninh, the results achieved are also very commendable. After the inspection and review process from the reflection of Lao Dong Newspaper, functional agencies have recovered nearly 100 social housing apartments and canceled hundreds of social housing purchase contracts due to not ensuring regulations in some projects in the area. At the same time, 2,000 foreigners were removed from social housing projects in the province.
Mr. Nguyen Tuan Dung - Deputy Director of Bac Ninh Provincial Department of Construction - affirmed: "In recent years, the information reflected by Lao Dong Newspaper has been an important source of information for Bac Ninh Department of Construction in identifying and handling tricks to profit from social housing policies in the area, thereby having measures to handle them in accordance with regulations.
According to Mr. Dung, handling cases of using social housing for the wrong people is not only to ensure the strictness of the law but also to contribute to bringing the State's social security policy to the right beneficiaries, especially workers and low-income workers who are facing housing difficulties.
Along with the regional and local office system covering the whole country, reporters of Lao Dong Newspaper still stick to the reality of the lives of workers and laborers every day and every hour; persistently pursuing many cases, in order to contribute to reclaiming legitimate rights and interests for laborers. Each article reflects the truth, each investigative series is invested in elaborately, not only contributing to detecting and preventing acts of infringing upon laborers' rights but also spreading faith in justice, in the companionship of the Trade Union organization.
