From dissolute hiring to having work in groups and teams
In many agricultural production areas in Can Tho City, participating in cooperatives (HTX) not only helps farmers reorganize production but also opens up more job opportunities and increases income for rural workers. For those who only have a few acres of rice fields or work seasonally, cooperatives are gradually becoming a "support" to help them have more regular jobs during the year.
Mr. Le Minh Chi - Head of 30/4 Cooperative Group, Ho Dac Kien commune (Can Tho City) said that the loading and unloading trade union of the cooperative group is divided into many groups, each group of about 20 people, working associated with the rice production cycle.
From the time of sowing to harvesting, there is work. In the season, it is done continuously, organized, so it helps everyone find work," Mr. Chi said.
According to Mr. Chi, the labor cost is calculated quite clearly at 70,000 VND/hour (1,300m2) to pull goods when sowing rice and 70,000 VND/ton if undertaking the work of carrying rice. With a production area of nearly 2,000 large-scale workers, on peak days, each worker can earn nearly 1 million VND/day, and at least a few hundred thousand VND per person.
Although the work is seasonal, it helps workers cover living expenses, take care of their families and be more proactive in free farming months. With work in groups, brothers have money to spend. In the season, try to work harder to save, at the end of the season, there is still money to spend in the house, take care of children going to school. Compared to before, working freelance, income like that is much better," Mr. Chi shared.
For many cooperative members, participating in the cooperative means having additional income outside of production on the family's meager rice fields.
Mr. Tran Ut - a member of Tin Phat Agricultural Cooperative, Ke Sach commune (Can Tho city) said that he farms 6 cong of rice fields for hire, the income from the fields is only enough to cover living expenses. Thanks to participating in the Cooperative, when the season comes, he is called to carry and transport fertilizer, medicine, and rice seeds, earning about 10 million VND per month.
According to Mr. Ut, the job is seasonal, but thanks to the cooperative standing up to organize, the brothers in the group have jobs more regularly than before. Although not every day there is work, the amount of several hundred thousand VND per day during the harvest season also helps workers stabilize their lives, limiting having to leave their hometowns to work far away.
Only with cooperatives can things be done smoothly
Not only loading and unloading seasonally, some cooperative members are also facilitated by the Cooperative to participate in many different stages in the production chain.
Mr. Bui Thanh Hai, a cooperative member attached to Tin Phat Agricultural Cooperative for more than 10 years, said that thanks to doing many jobs, his income is more stable than before. Mr. Hai currently holds the role of Deputy Director of the Cooperative, directly managing and participating in production with cooperative members.
In addition to loading and unloading, I also deliver seeds, transport rice, and fertilizers year-round. On average, each month's income is about 10 million VND, meals are taken care of by the Cooperative," Mr. Hai said.
Also participating in Tin Phat Cooperative since 2015, Mr. Tran Thanh Vu said that before, he only worked in the fields and did odd jobs, his income was very precarious. His family has 5 people, 3 children are in school, while he only has 2 cong of rice, not enough for living expenses.
Before joining the cooperative, when I was free, I had to go find outside jobs, sometimes there was no work for a whole month. Now joining the cooperative, when the crop comes, there is work to carry loads, deliver fertilizer, deliver rice seeds. Each crop is about 1 month, income of 9 - 10 million VND, which is also much better," Mr. Vu said.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Dam - Director of Tin Phat Agricultural Cooperative, currently the Cooperative is regularly using about 20 - 25 male workers doing loading, transporting, harvesting and 20 - 22 female workers doing transplanting, milling, and collecting rice in warehouses. The average income of female workers is about 8 - 10 million VND/month, male workers about 10 - 12 million VND/month.
Although it is not possible to ensure year-round jobs for all workers, the cooperative tries to rotate work so that workers have additional income outside the rice fields," Mr. Dam said.
