Binh Duong Province is attractive to workers and students who need a temporary living place for their job and study. Up to date, over 700,000 workers, 70% of which are immigrant workers. To satisfy the need of living place, over 140,000 rooms are offered in different kinds of hostels invested. Commonly, the room is built within 8-12 sq m for 2 to 3 people to live in.

 By our investigation, workers mainly choose to rent hostels while students rush to their dormitory within control of schools. In fact, hostel owners fail to maintain full price policies and intentionaly charge higher electricity price up to VND 2,000 – 3,000 per kWh, creating more burdens on renters..

 Joint Circular No. 08/2010 of Industry and Trade Ministry has explicited electricity price in 2010 applied to organizations and individuals electricity buying from national system. As a result, it is averagely charged VND 1,058 per kWh (VAT not included). Daily-use electricity price is calculated through tiers of 0-50 kWh (VND 600 per kWh), 51-100 kWh (VND 1,058 per kWh), 101-150 kWh (VND 1,214 per kWh), 151-200 kWh (VND 1,594 per kWh), 201-300 kWh (VND 1,722 per kWh), 301-400 kWh (VND 1,844 per kWh), and above 401 kWh (VND 1,890 per kWh).

The regulations also put it that 4 renters can jointly sign one electricity buying contract.

If we make a calculation for 40 kWh used, renters will pay VND 24,000 per month while hostel owners charge a whooping of VND 120,000 per month.

 By applying tier-calculation, the government has taken into consideration of supports to the poor working class; however, such way of charging is disturbing.

 Recently, Chief of Culture and Society Affairs of Provincial People’s Council Mai Thi Dung has lead delegations to inspect cultural and social status in An Binh Commune – the most populated locality with immigrant workers. According to leaders of An Binh Commune, over 1 hostel owners are now offering more than 22 thousand rooms.

 In meeting with renters, the team has known that it is charged averagely VND 2,000 to VND 3,000 per kWh while renters may only use 50 to 60 kWh a month. They are unreasonably charged twice the price. Industry and Trade Department Director Nguyen Thi Dien has suggested that local leaders should boost up legal propaganda to prevent unreasonable price treatment. Besides, she also confirmed that involved agencies will join in punishments against hostel owners over charge nationalized electricity price.

 

Reported by Tuong Vy – Nhan Quang – Translated by Vi Bao