Trying to work overtime from July to have money to pay for my children's school fees
Mr. Nguyen Minh Hai and Ms. Le Thi Lan both work at Sai Dong B Industrial Park. They have two children in secondary school. Because their rented room is small and they work shift shifts, they do not have time to take care of their children, so they sent both children to their grandparents in Quang Thai, Quang Xuong district (Thanh Hoa). Mr. Hai's hometown is a seafarer, but his health is not good, so he decided to go to Hanoi to work as a worker and then get married.
When they had children, they wanted to keep them close by, but due to circumstances, it was difficult to take care of them properly, so they sent them back to the countryside for their grandparents to take care of. Every month, they sent money back for their grandparents to spend. Mr. Hai shared: In the countryside, the children will live in a spacious house, with a playground, a place to play soccer; the school is not far from home; and they will be under the daily supervision of their grandparents.
"In Hanoi, my wife and I wanted to save money to take care of our children, so we only rented a room with enough room for a bed, a bathroom, and a place to cook. In that room, our children would feel confined. My wife and I work shifts, not to mention that we often work overtime to earn more income, so taking care of, teaching, and managing our children is limited...", Mr. Hai said.
The couple's monthly income is about 17 million VND (meaning that both husband and wife work overtime a lot), and normally it is about 14 - 15 million VND. This amount of money must be saved very economically to be enough to send back to the grandparents to take care of the two children at home. Therefore, every year around July, Hai and Lan take advantage of finding extra jobs after work at the factory to have an extra income to take care of their two children in the new school year.
Tuition and books for the two children are a significant amount. In previous years, Hai took on a motorbike taxi job, and Lan took on a dishwashing job at a nearby pub. The income was not as much as expected, but it was enough to cover two-thirds of the expenses when the children started the new school year. This July, the usual plan was to find a part-time job to take care of the children.
But luckily, Ms. Lan got a job cleaning houses for 3 families, and she could work on Sundays, so she rarely had to work late at night like the years she washed dishes at a pub. Ms. Lan said that probably because they are boys, her two children are not picky about clothes and shoes other than their school uniforms. "But this year, they are both grown up, so they have to buy more clothes and cannot wear short clothes," Ms. Lan said.
Workers who leave their children in rented accommodation also have concerns about the expenses at the beginning of the school year for their children. “The older ones have their own expenses, the younger ones have their own expenses. Sometimes the younger ones’ expenses are several times higher than the older ones, so even though we have prepared, my husband and I still have a “headache” when the new school year comes,” said Tran Thi Binh, who is staying in Phu Cat (Thach That, Hanoi) when asked about taking care of her children in the new school year.
Union "Go to school with me"
Understanding the difficulties of union members and workers when the new school year comes, trade unions at all levels across the country always have activities to support. One of them is the program "Going to school with you" of the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union.
In early August, the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union awarded the "Going to School with You" scholarship to 336 students who are children of union members and workers of 44 grassroots unions. These are students who are in difficult circumstances but have made efforts to improve themselves and achieve good results in studying and training. The scholarships of the industry's trade union have helped union members and workers reduce their worries about expenses at the beginning of the school year for their children. Along with that, the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union also organized a series of programs "Flying high dreams" in 2024 for children of officials, union members and workers in the Textile and Garment industry who have achieved high results in studying and training in the 2023-2024 school year in the 3 regions of the North, Central and South.
Sharing at this activity in the Northern region, Ms. Pham Thi Thanh Tam - Member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, President of the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union, told students: "You all have parents working in the Textile and Garment industry - a field with many difficulties, low income, and not much time for family. But you, do not, because of those disadvantages, temporarily compare your parents with the parents of your friends who have favorable jobs and better incomes, because only when you know how to understand, share, love, and respect your parents, no matter what job they do, what position they have in society, then you will truly be students who have enough knowledge, intelligence and morality, the qualities that are necessary and must have of virtuous and talented people in the future, who will contribute to the cause of building the country".
Many grassroots trade unions of the Textile and Garment Trade Union also organized scholarships for children of union members and workers right before the new school year. The Hue Textile and Garment Joint Stock Company's trade union coordinated with the professional organization to organize a meeting to award scholarships "Going to school with you" of the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union to 17 children of union members and workers of the Company who are in difficult circumstances and have achieved excellent results in the 2023-2024 school year.
On this occasion, the Union presented 2 bicycles, each worth 1.8 million VND, to 2 children who do not have a means of transportation to school. This activity is just one of many concerns and cares that the company as well as the Union of Hue Textile and Garment Joint Stock Company has shown to its employees and their relatives over the past years.
In Hanoi, every year, the City Labor Federation pays attention to maintaining the organization and directing the Trade Unions at all levels to honor the children of workers and civil servants who have achieved high achievements and to award scholarships to children of workers and civil servants who have overcome difficulties and excelled in their studies. In the two years 2023 - 2024, the work of taking care of children of workers and civil servants who have overcome difficulties and excelled in their studies received the attention and support of the Hanoi Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs. In 2024, the Hanoi City Labor Federation and the Hanoi Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs awarded 200 scholarships, each worth 2 million VND in cash and gifts to children of workers and civil servants who have overcome difficulties and excelled in their studies.
The Union organization pays attention to and regularly and promptly implements activities to take care of children of workers and civil servants, especially before the new school year. This not only helps reduce difficulties for union members and workers in difficult circumstances but also adds strength and encourages the learning spirit of children of union members and civil servants.
