On August 10, at the discussion session on the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Vietnamese Workers going to work abroad under contract, National Assembly Deputy Tran Dinh Gia raised a not new reality, but that has lasted for many years.
That is, there are people who leave their contracts to work abroad after working abroad for a few months. This situation makes some markets not accept workers from localities with high violation rates in Vietnam.
And this is the most worrying consequence of the situation of workers abandoning contracts, residing and working illegally abroad.
If only a few people violate, they are only responsible for their own choices. But when violations become common, the consequences no longer stop at each individual.
When the rate of violations increases, the reputation of Vietnamese labor sources may be affected, programs or receiving markets may apply stricter recruitment conditions. At that time, workers who comply with the law and have legitimate needs are also at risk of being affected.
Therefore, the proposal to have stricter sanctions for those who intentionally violate is something that needs to be studied. The handling method must also be directed right at the violator, avoiding personal responsibility turning into mechanical restriction of opportunities for other workers just because of the same locality.
Workers going to work abroad have the right to be protected in terms of salary, working conditions and other legitimate rights. But along with that right is the responsibility to properly implement the contract and comply with the laws of the host country. Because each worker when going abroad also carries the prestige of Vietnamese workers and the image of Vietnamese people.
However, strictness does not mean applying sanctions at all costs.
The proposal to ban exits for people who have violated labor laws abroad needs to be carefully studied in terms of basis, scope, level and duration of application.
Sanctions must be commensurate with the act, clearly distinguishing between cases of intentional serious violations and cases arising from disputes or objective circumstances.
Along with strictly handling people who intentionally violate, the law must also strictly regulate fees, publicize costs and strictly handle businesses, organizations, and individuals who broker and collect money against regulations.
Making the foreign labor market healthy must start from both sides. Workers must be responsible for the signed contracts and laws of the host country. Businesses sending workers to work abroad must also be responsible for every penny that workers spend.
Only then will the strictness of the law be truly fair. And most importantly, the goal of not allowing the violations of some people to deprive the legitimate opportunity of the majority is achieved.
