These days, trade union levels in the province are simultaneously organizing the forum "Listening to union members and workers speak", at conferences, many opinions and recommendations of workers related to salaries, overtime, social insurance, meals, housing and welfare... are received and classified by trade union organizations for monitoring and resolution.
Workers propose that overtime must be based on the spirit of voluntariness, overtime pay is paid in accordance with regulations; the situation of businesses being late in paying and owing social insurance needs to be handled promptly.
Many opinions also mentioned the quality of lunch meals, proposing to increase the value of meals to a minimum of 22,000 - 25,000 VND/meal; increase support for gasoline, rent, childcare and ensure full policies for female workers.
Issues related to Tet bonuses, 13th-month salary, seniority allowances, salary grade increases, and skills training were also raised by workers.
Ms. Nguyen Hoai Phuong - a worker at Nam Dinh Forestry Products Joint Stock Company (in Hoa Xa Industrial Park, Ninh Binh province) - requested all levels and sectors to strengthen inspection and supervision of the implementation of social insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance, wages, working hours, rest hours and other regimes for employees in enterprises; promptly protect the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of union members when disputes or violations of labor laws arise.
In addition to the scope of businesses, workers are also interested in social housing, kindergartens for workers' children, traffic safety at the industrial park gate and the situation of "black credit" creeping into workers' lives.
The noteworthy point of the dialogue is not only the fact that workers are allowed to speak, but also the requirement that recommendations must be clearly classified. Which contents are resolved immediately, which contents need to be verified, and which contents must be transferred to competent authorities.
At the forums "Listening to union members and workers speak", representatives of leaders of the Provincial Labor Federation, Department of Home Affairs, Provincial Social Insurance, Economic Zone and Industrial Zone Management Board, Provincial Police and related units directly exchanged many issues right at the conference. Contents that could not be answered immediately were received for further processing.
Mr. Nguyen Hai Long - Chairman of Ninh Binh Provincial Labor Federation - said that "Listening to union members and workers speak" is an important channel for trade union organizations to directly grasp issues arising at enterprises.
However, the value of dialogue cannot just stop at gathering opinions. The organizing committee must fully and accurately summarize the recommendations; monitor and supervise the progress of resolution and regularly inform union members and workers of the results.
For issues under the authority of departments, branches, units, and businesses, the requirement is to answer and handle them specifically. Contents related to many agencies need to be coordinated to be resolved. Issues beyond authority must be summarized to report and propose to competent authorities for consideration. This is also a decisive stage in the quality of a dialogue.
When workers' petitions have clear addresses for handling, monitoring time and feedback, "Listening to union members and workers speak" will truly transform from a dialogue forum into a tool to protect the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of workers" - Mr. Long shared.
