Garment workers strike, demand back pay owed

VNRN - April 14, 2014

 Workers struck at least two manufacturers in Vietnam last week, allegedly for failure to pay back wages of more than a month.

Nearly 800 workers at garment manufacturer YS Vina Co., Ltd. in the city of Tam Ky, about 70km south of Da Nang, went on strike on Apr 11 after not getting paid for two monthly paydays in a row, according to numerous press reports.

The workers had not been paid in March, and when April’s payday at the end of the day on Apr 10, they were told that the company was in financial trouble and would pay half of the money on Apr 17 and the rest by Apr 21.

All workers then walked off the job and refused to return until their wages have been paid in full.

Workers also accused the company of arbitrarily docking their pay. Press reports, quoting unnamed workers, say that the company would dock 800,000 dong (US$40) for every day of absence even though one day’s pay is only 90,000 dong (US$4.50). Insurance costs were deducted but insurance cards were not issued.

This work stoppage followed a similar one the day before at MTV Pia Global Co., Ltd., another garment manufacturer in Ho Chi Minh City. Local media reported at nearly 800 workers there are owed 1 month 10 days of pay as well as holiday pay and 12 vacation days from 2013.

The striking workers there also say the company has been deducting insurance cost without providing insurance cards.

The company owes more than 2.4 billion dong in back pay (US$120 million), and the owner has not been found, according to press reports quoting unnamed district authorities.

Garment and textile workers in the Vietnam are among the lowest paid, even though the industry had a banner year in 2013, surpassing its own goal of US$19 billion in export by an extra $1 billion, state-owned Vietnam News Service quoted Pham Xuan Hong, deputy chairman of the Viet Nam Textile and Garment Association as saying.

 

 

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