Government's telegram on taking care of people's lives during Lunar New Year

Telegram sent to ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, government agencies; Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities; President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor.

The telegram stated: In the past time, the Politburo, the Secretariat, the National Assembly, the Government and the Prime Minister have paid attention to directing; sectors and levels have been actively implementing many practical and effective solutions to care for the lives and ensure social security for people and workers, especially during the 2024 Lunar New Year of the nation. To focus on doing better, ensuring that all people and workers have a joyful, healthy and economical Tet, leaving no one behind, the Prime Minister requested:

1. Ministries, branches and localities, according to their assigned functions, tasks and authorities, thoroughly grasp and seriously and fully implement Directive No. 26-CT/TW dated November 23, 2023 of the Secretariat on organizing the Giap Thin New Year 2024 and Directive No. 30/CT-TTg dated December 15, 2023 of the Prime Minister on strengthening measures to ensure a joyful, healthy, safe and economical celebration of the Giap Thin Lunar New Year 2024.

2. Chairman of People's Committee of provinces and centrally-run cities:

a) Directing labor agencies to coordinate with provincial and municipal labor federations to request units and enterprises to proactively implement measures to overcome difficulties, actively care for workers' lives, pay salaries and bonuses to workers on time, in accordance with regulations, labor contracts, collective labor agreements, internal rules and regulations of enterprises, ensuring that all workers have Tet and continue to be attached to the enterprise; arrange Tet holidays according to regulations; fully implement social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance policies and regimes. Support enterprises to overcome labor shortages, avoid labor supply disruptions, and meet human resource needs for production and business of enterprises after the Lunar New Year.

b) Direct the implementation of social allowance payment for February 2024 for social protection beneficiaries before February 3, 2024. Focus on reviewing and grasping the living situation of policy beneficiaries, people with revolutionary contributions, people in difficult circumstances (poor people, elderly people, people with disabilities, children in special circumstances, homeless people, people in areas affected by natural disasters, storms, floods, landslides, people facing difficulties, not ensuring a minimum standard of living due to the impact of the epidemic, people in remote areas, border areas, islands, ethnic minority areas, mountainous areas, pregnant female workers, women with young children with difficult economic conditions...) to care for, take care of, and provide timely and appropriate support. Organize visits and give gifts to the right beneficiaries, according to the regime, publicly and transparently, not to take advantage of or profit from policies, ensuring that all policy beneficiaries have gifts and receive gifts before Tet.

c) Urgently review and summarize the number of households and people at risk of hunger during the Lunar New Year and the crop year of 2024 to proactively have timely support plans; report and propose the issuance of food from national reserves to the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Finance before January 18, 2024. On that basis, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs will synthesize and propose; the Ministry of Finance will appraise and submit to the Prime Minister before January 22, 2024.

d) Strengthen inspection and supervision of the implementation of accident prevention, child injury prevention, prevention of violence, abuse of women and children, prevention of domestic violence, gender-based violence during the Lunar New Year. Strengthen the work of preventing social evils; do not let students escape, causing instability in the political situation and social order in the locality.

d) Closely monitor the development of the labor market, promptly grasp the labor and employment situation in the locality, especially in industrial parks, export processing zones, economic zones, and places with a large concentration of workers, creating favorable conditions for workers to take Tet holidays and return to work after Tet. Pay attention to supporting workers who have suffered a sharp decrease in income, lost or underemployed due to the impact of natural disasters, epidemics, and businesses that have reduced production and business. Proactively implement solutions to maintain the human resource supply chain, promptly meet the labor needs of businesses before and after Tet. Strengthen self-inspection and implement measures to ensure occupational safety and hygiene, and prevent and fight fires and explosions.

3. The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs shall preside over and coordinate with relevant ministries, agencies and localities to urge, monitor, inspect and guide localities and agencies to implement tasks of caring for people's lives and ensuring social security for people and workers before, during and after the 2024 Lunar New Year; proactively grasp the situation and promptly handle arising issues according to authority and regulations; in cases beyond authority, report to competent authorities for consideration and decision.

4. Vietnam Social Security shall pay two months of pension and social insurance benefits (January and February 2024) in lump sum in the payment period of January 2024, to be completed before January 20, 2024.

5. Propose that the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor direct trade unions at all levels to closely coordinate with the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities and the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs to grasp the labor and employment situation, inspect and supervise the payment of salaries and bonuses at units and enterprises, and have plans to support and care for workers' lives during Tet, ensuring timeliness and practicality, especially for the disadvantaged and those in difficult circumstances.

6. Enterprises actively and proactively implement effective solutions to stabilize and develop production and business, strive to maintain and ensure employment, implement salary, bonus, social insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance regimes for employees according to the provisions of law, labor contracts, collective labor agreements, internal rules and regulations of the enterprise.

7. The Ministry of Information and Communications directs media and press agencies (Vietnam Television, Voice of Vietnam, Vietnam News Agency, Government Electronic Information Portal, etc.) to coordinate with ministries and branches to organize propaganda and guidance on traffic safety; fire and explosion prevention and control; disease prevention and control; prevention of all types of crimes, social evils, and unhealthy cultural activities before, during, and after the Lunar New Year.

8. The Government Office shall monitor and urge the implementation of this Official Dispatch according to its assigned functions and tasks; report to the Prime Minister on issues arising beyond its authority./.