To promptly resolve workers’ concerns, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (VGCL) requested the Government to study and propose to the National Assembly to issue a Resolution on policies for building social housing and housing for workers.
President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor Nguyen Dinh Khang made the above recommendation to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the Conference to evaluate the implementation of the Regulation on working relations between the Government and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor.
According to the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, in recent times, relevant ministries, branches and agencies, according to their functions and tasks, have researched, proposed adjustments and supplements to current regulations, focused on perfecting institutions, mechanisms and policies on housing for workers in the direction of reforming and streamlining administrative procedures; planning and allocating land funds to develop housing for workers and laborers; mobilizing public-private partnerships, mechanisms for trade unions, localities and enterprises to participate; and arranging medium-term public investment sources.
The Ministry of Construction is presiding over the study and amendment of the 2014 Housing Law, proposing a number of specific policies, such as: industrial park worker accommodation for workers and laborers to rent in industrial parks; workers who are eligible to buy, rent-purchase, or rent social housing outside industrial parks like other policy subjects…
To continue to accelerate the implementation of the Project “Investing in building trade union institutions in industrial parks and export processing zones” approved by the Prime Minister, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor reports Prime Minister Direct local authorities, relevant ministries and branches to continue to create conditions, remove difficulties and obstacles in the process of implementing the project; consider taking care of social welfare in terms of housing for workers an urgent requirement, which needs to be regulated as a separate institution in the law to suit the practical situation.
In addition to mobilizing resources from enterprises, Mr. Khang suggested that it is necessary to allocate more state budget to take care of housing, kindergartens, entertainment venues, cultural and sports activities for workers in industrial parks and export processing zones; there should be a mechanism allowing enterprises with many workers and employees to buy or lease-purchase housing projects for their own workers and employees to buy or lease-purchase, contributing to “settling down and having a career”.
The President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor proposed that the Government assign relevant ministries and branches to advise the Government to consider submitting to the National Assembly amendments and supplements to laws, including: Housing Law, Real Estate Business Law, Land Law , Public Investment Law, and Public Asset Management Law.
In the immediate future, while the laws have not been amended, Mr. Khang suggested that the Government assign the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor and relevant ministries to study and submit to the Government a proposal to the National Assembly to issue a Resolution on policies for building social housing and housing for workers, to promptly resolve current concerns due to problems related to overlaps and gaps in the law.
In addition, the Government considers and integrates the housing construction part of the Project “Investing in the construction of trade union institutions in industrial parks and export processing zones” into the project to build 1 million housing apartments for workers and low-income earners chaired by the Ministry of Construction, to ensure the rights of workers in industrial parks and export processing zones.
