In 2021, employees face many difficulties due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic. Therefore, the Trade Union of Binh Duong province is focusing on developing plans to carry out activities to take care of the Lunar New Year in 2022 for trade union members and workers with the motto of all member and employees have Tet holiday.
Many affected by the epidemic
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has made the production and business activities of enterprises in the province in recent years face many difficulties. The fact that businesses suspend operations for many months to combat the epidemic has caused many employees to suspend labor contracts or stop working, leading to many difficulties in life and activities. During the 4th Covid-19 epidemic outbreak in Binh Duong from the end of April 2021 to October 2021, nearly 15,000 businesses had to suspend operations to fight the epidemic with 780,000 employees affected.
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Khanh, permanent Deputy Chairman of Binh Duong provincial Trade Union, presents gifts to members of hardship in the latest Tet holiday of 2021
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Khanh, permanent Deputy Chairman of the provincial Trade Union, said that in the face of difficulties due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the CPV, the State and Vietnamese General Trade Union have paid attention to and implemented many policies to support employees and workers affected by the epidemic. Since the beginning of the year, the provincial Trade Union has focused on directing trade unions at all levels to implement many practical and effective care and dialogue activities; thereby, contributing to support enterprises to remove difficulties and restore production and business operations while creating jobs and stabilizing the lives of workers.
Along with that, the union has supported, visited, encouraged and given gifts to support union members and workers in difficult circumstances affected by the Covid-19 epidemic. In particular, the provincial trade unions have focused on implementing many practical caring activities to promptly support the unions and workers. Specifically, Binh Duong Trade Union focused on timely disbursing supporting packages of the government, Vietnamese General Trade Union and localities for workers affected by the Covid-19 epidemic to support 39,225 cases of patients in blocked areas with an amount of nearly VND 90 billion; meals have been delivered for employees and workers who are doing "3 on the spot" for 1,164 businesses with nearly 150,000 employees at a total amount of VND 149 billion.
At the same time, the provincial Trade Union also mobilizes, receives and distributes necessities from localities, organizations and individuals to support workers. Through mobilization, the provincial Trade Union has received 593 tons of goods including equipment, rice, instant noodles, milk, vegetables with a total value of over VND 10 billion; to promptly allocate and support workers in need with about 90,000 rooms for over 190,000 beneficiaries. In addition, the programs of "welfare for union members" continue to be maintained by trade unions at all levels, bringing more benefits to employees. Up to now, the provincial Trade Union has signed contracts with 59 units and enterprises to implement welfare programs for employees and workers through supporting or selling essential goods to employees with a discount of 5 - 40%.
To comprehensively plan for Tet caring
It is forecasted that, in the face of difficulties caused by the epidemic, the Lunar New Year of 2022 will have many workers choosing to stay in Binh Duong to celebrate Tet instead of going home to save money for themselves and remit back to their hometown to help their families, Mr. Le Van Hieu, Chairman of Thuan An city Trade Union, said that due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic this year, many workers may stay in the locality to celebrate Tet instead of returning to their hometown to save costs. Like every year, together with local authorities, the local Trade Union has developed a plan to take care of the Tet holiday for workers who cannot return to their hometown and stay in Binh Duong to celebrate Tet. In which, the local Trade Union focuses on visiting and giving Tet gifts to employees, especially workers in extremely difficult circumstances and those who suffer from serious diseases and occupational accidents; at the same time, grassroots trade unions are directed to actively coordinate with enterprises to develop plans to organize thoughtful and safe Tet caring activities at enterprises.
Mr. Truong Van Phi, Deputy Chairman of the Trade Union of Ben Cat Industrial Parks, said that taking care of the employees and workers, especially the those in extremely difficult circumstances who did not return to their hometown but to stay in Binh Duong on the occasion of the Lunar New Year had been very important as a regular and prominent activity of the trade union. During the 2022 Lunar New Year, the Trade Union of Ben Cat Industrial Parks continues to focus on organizing a variety of Tet caring activities towards establishments, community members and employees so that the activities can be spread more widely.
Ms. Nguyen Kim Loan, Chairwoman of the provincial Trade Union, said that in the last months of 2021, trade unions at all levels will not only focus on solutions to fulfill and achieve targets and tasks of developing union members and establishing trade unions while focusing on completing and updating data on membership management software and printing, changing loyalty cards, evaluating and ranking grassroots trade unions in 2021, proactively developing and promulgating plans to organize events and caring activities for the Lunar New Year of 2022 for union members and employees. In particular, in addition to financial resources, the trade union will mobilize more resources from businesses, welfare, organizations and individuals to take care of employees, especially those in difficult circumstances and dangerous diseases, labor accidents and did not return to hometown but to stay in Binh Duong to celebrate Tet.
Reported by Do Trong – Translated by Vi Bao