Do not let counterfeit goods rampant but only impose light administrative fines
On the morning of June 18, discussing the socio-economic development plan at the National Assembly, delegate Thai Thu Xuong - Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (Hau Giang Delegation) - commented on two important issues.
The first issue, the delegate informed about the problem of counterfeit goods, counterfeit goods, poor quality goods and trade fraud.
According to the delegate, this is not only an economic problem but also a risk of silently eroding the health of the community, eroding the trust of society and stifling the survival of legitimate businesses.
Counterfeit and counterfeit goods are no longer a small phenomenon but have become a sophisticated underground system, organized from food, medicine, cosmetics to electronic devices, household appliances.
Traces of fraud are permeating the market, causing serious damage to the economy and consumer confidence.
The delegate emphasized the need to be too confused when our lives and health are surrounded by counterfeit and dirty goods.
Voters also expressed their concern as people increasingly find it difficult to distinguish between real and fake goods on the market. Many businesses do business seriously and invest properly but suffer losses because they cannot compete with counterfeit goods, cheap goods, tax evasion and law evasion.
Delegate Thai Thu Xuong raised the issue of how to completely treat counterfeit and poor quality goods to protect consumer health, protect Vietnamese brands, protect legitimate businesses and whose responsibility this responsibility belongs to, which ministries, branches and localities?
The delegate earnestly hoped that the Government would have a specific answer to the National Assembly and voters nationwide.
From the perspective of a delegate, responsible to voters, the delegate proposed to the National Assembly and the Government a number of solutions.
The delegate suggested completing the legal corridor soon, while raising the sanctions level for sanctions, ensuring a real deterrent, not allowing counterfeit goods to dominate but only stopping at the level of light administrative sanctions.
Another solution is to strengthen the force to prevent and combat smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods from the central to local levels, ensuring sufficient professional capacity, honest qualities, and not being dominated or manipulated.
Delegate Thai Thu Xuong also proposed to strictly handle cases of officials covering up and assisting violations. We need to be brave in looking straight ahead, speaking the truth and handling it, not giving in, no forbidden areas.
In addition, it is necessary to promptly encourage, reward, and commend positive examples and good practices, especially those discovered and denounced by the people, to create a movement to prevent counterfeit goods and counterfeit goods nationwide.
The Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor also proposed to strongly encourage the application of technology in controlling goods from QR codes, tracing the origin, and enhancing the responsibility of e-commerce platforms in monitoring outstanding goods.
In the long term, the delegate proposed to include educational content on counterfeit identification and safe consumption in the general education program.
Electricity and gold prices continue to increase but the minimum wage only increases once
The second issue, delegate Thai Thu Xuong mentioned the lives of workers under pressure from price increases and declining income.
According to the delegate, voters, especially workers in industrial parks, are facing double pressure. On the one hand, the increase in electricity and gold prices has led to an increase in food prices. On the other hand, there is unstable employment, declining income, and unstable life.
Since 2023, EVN has adjusted electricity prices up 4 times with an increase of 17%, while the regional minimum wage of workers has only increased once with an increase of 6%.
This increase has caused many workers to not have enough to cover their daily needs, let alone save or invest in the future.
Workers are those who directly produce and create material wealth for society but have not received due attention. They have to live in cramped boarding houses, with poor facilities and equipment, struggling to make ends meet.
From the above reality, on behalf of voters who are workers, the delegate strongly recommended that the Government should have solutions to control inflation to stabilize prices of essential goods, especially electricity prices and food and beverage.
At the same time, study policies to adjust electricity prices in the direction of incentives for low-income people.
The delegate suggested urgently reviewing, adjusting, and increasing the regional minimum wage from July 2025. This is not only a technical recommendation but an urgent requirement from the practical life of workers.
The regional minimum wage must truly meet the minimum living standard, in accordance with the spirit of the provisions of the Labor Code.
"Voters do not demand big promises, they just hope to live in a society where faith is nurtured, justice is guaranteed and value is honored," the delegate said and suggested soon increasing the regional minimum wage.
