This is very good news for a large number of workers across the country, raised by Politburo Member, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung at the Prime Minister's Exchange and Discussion Program with delegates attending the 14th Vietnam Trade Union Congress, held on the morning of June 5.
The housing issue is one of the key recommendations expressed by workers, civil servants, laborers, and trade union officials nationwide at the Congress. Especially the content: "Developing social housing for workers to rent associated with smart urban planning and essential services, prioritizing being located in or near, adjacent to industrial parks, economic zones, and export processing zones".
Right at the program, delegate Nguyen Thi Thanh, Chairwoman of Ba Dinh Ward Trade Union, Hanoi City, said: Through the practice of trade union activities both in the past and present, when contacting workers, I realize that one issue that workers are concerned about is housing. One of the three recommendations raised by the delegate is: "The State should continue to have policies to attract businesses to build social housing, housing for workers to rent and increase state investment in this field".
In fact, recently, the Party and State have had many policies on housing for people, including workers.
Notice No. 64-TB/VPTW of the Party Central Committee Office stated the conclusion of General Secretary and President To Lam on the situation of implementing Directive No. 34-CT/TW of the Secretariat on social housing and housing development orientations in the coming time. One of the important contents is: "Improving the view that the right to legal housing is a fundamental right of citizens, access to safe housing, suitable for affordability is a measure of social progress, creating a foundation for stable and sustainable social development, enhancing people's trust; housing development orientation is an important content in the strategy and planning of urban and rural development, contributing to ensuring social security, urban security, rural security, improving labor productivity and ensuring healthy development of the real estate market. The State has housing development policies to aim for the goal of everyone having housing".
Thoroughly grasping that spirit, on June 1st, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung chaired a working session with leaders of Hai Phong city and provinces: Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh, Ninh Binh, Hung Yen on developing rental housing.
According to the Prime Minister, the pressure on rental housing for workers and laborers is very urgent and the deployment of rental housing development in this area is also a premise for piloting and replicating the way of doing things for other localities across the country.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung also said that the demand for rent is very large while the housing fund for rent is very lacking, especially long-term rent at reasonable prices. This is the first bottleneck. Most workers and laborers in 5 localities are currently renting spontaneous boarding houses built by households themselves - posing a very high risk of safety, especially fire prevention and fighting, environmental sanitation, living conditions and social infrastructure needs.
The Prime Minister emphasized that it is necessary to strongly shift the thinking about housing, from mainly developing houses for sale to developing both commercial housing and rental housing at the same time.
Long-term rental housing at reasonable prices is the desire of the majority of workers today.
At the Prime Minister's program to exchange and discuss with delegates attending the 14th Vietnam Trade Union Congress, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung informed that the Government has directed localities to conduct a general review of planning, especially the planning of industrial parks, to allocate resources and immediately implement projects to build houses for rent in June.
At the same time, the State will use the budget to buy back social housing or build long-term rental housing for workers, associated with the planning of industrial parks, ensuring accompanying facilities, stable infrastructure, reasonable and long-term rental prices.
Resolving the housing "bottleneck" is a strategic and humane solution, contributing to helping workers feel secure in their work, increase productivity, and contribute to the common goals of the country.
