Ensure timely and appropriate implementation of the 62 trillion VND social security package

On the afternoon of April 27, an online conference was held on implementing policies to support people facing difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

View of the online conference at Nghe An bridge. Photo: Thanh Nga

The conference in Hanoi was chaired by comrades: Tran Thanh Man - Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front; Dao Ngoc Dung - Member of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs; Hau A Lenh - Member of the Party Central Committee, Vice Chairman, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front.

At Nghe An bridge, the conference was chaired by comrades: Vo Thi Minh Sinh - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee; Bui Dinh Long - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Doan Hong Vu - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Director of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs. Attending the conference at Nghe An bridge were also representatives of leaders of departments, branches, and bridge points of 21 districts, cities and towns.

There is a strict monitoring mechanism

The Government issued Resolution 42/NQ-CP dated April 9, 2020 on measures to support people facing difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic, including a social security support package of 62 trillion VND.

Along with that, on April 24, 2020, the Prime Minister issued Decision 15/2020/QD-TTg regulating the implementation of support policies for people facing difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which clearly stipulates the support conditions, guidance on documents, procedures and implementation procedures.

Delegates attending the online conference at Nghe An bridge. Photo: Thanh Nga

At this conference, delegates gave their opinions on the draft on monitoring the implementation of support policies for people facing difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in order to promote the role and responsibility of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and its member organizations in thematic monitoring. Thereby, promptly detecting, limiting and preventing acts of profiteering and violations in policy implementation, contributing to the effective implementation of the Party's policies and the State's policies; ensuring implementation to the right subjects, fairly, accurately and promptly.

Decision No. 15/QD-TTg, regulating the implementation of policies to support people and workers facing difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic, clearly states:

1. Support employees to temporarily suspend the performance of their labor contracts or take unpaid leave, under the following conditions:

Time of contract suspension, leave from work from 1 consecutive month from April 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020

2. Support for business households, under the following conditions:

Revenue managed by the Tax authority for business households in 2020 is under 100 million VND, determined as of January 15, 2020; temporarily suspended business on April 1, 2020 according to the Decision of the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee implementing Directive No. 15/CT-TTg dated March 27, 2020 of the Prime Minister.

3. Support employees whose labor contracts or employment contracts are terminated but are not eligible for unemployment benefits, under the following conditions:

Having signed a labor contract before April 1, 2020 and participating in social insurance; terminating the labor contract or work contract between April 1, 2020 and June 15, 2020 but not eligible for unemployment benefits; having no income or income lower than the near-poverty level.

4. Support for employees without labor contracts who lose their jobs, under the following conditions:

Unemployed, with low income below the near-poverty line, from April 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020; street vendors, small traders without a fixed location; garbage and scrap collectors; porters, transporters of goods; drivers of 2-wheeled motorbikes carrying passengers, cyclo drivers, passenger transporters, mobile lottery retailers; self-employed or working at businesses in the fields of food, tourism, and health care.

- In addition, the subjects of revolutionary contributors and social protection are those on the list of beneficiaries of preferential allowances in April 2020.

- People belonging to poor and near-poor households in the list of poor and near-poor households as of December 31, 2019.

Fast review, accurate payment

Comrade Bui Dinh Long - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee spoke at Nghe An bridge. Photo: Thanh Nga

At Nghe An bridge, comrade Bui Dinh Long expressed his opinion: Immediately after the Government's Resolution 42 and the Prime Minister's Official Dispatch on implementing the social security package for those severely affected by the Covid-19 epidemic, Nghe An Provincial People's Committee directed relevant agencies to develop an implementation plan with the motto of being timely and targeting the right subjects.

However, the implementation process in Nghe An shows that it is difficult to accurately identify subjects belonging to the group of workers without contracts and workers who have lost their jobs.

"And also at this conference, I hope the Government needs to have a mechanism to solve employment, especially for workers returning home in the past time, when the epidemic is pushed back" - the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee expressed his opinion.

"Specifically, we hope to have a mechanism to connect businesses and service activities to send workers to work abroad; pay attention to markets such as Laos, China, and Thailand because the number of workers going to work in neighboring countries is quite large, and there are still many illegal workers."

Concluding the conference, Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung requested: Localities, levels and sectors need to carefully review the subjects, ensure transparency; regularly inspect, prevent corruption, group interests, and policy exploitation; ensure each subject enjoys the highest policy.

Workers who lose their jobs will have access to social security support packages. Photo: Archive

The Minister said: The issuance of Resolution 42 and the 62 trillion VND policy package is an unprecedented policy. This support package is attracting great interest and expectations from the people, so ministries, departments and branches from the central to local levels need to implement it quickly but ensure accuracy, the right people, and the right subjects.

"It is also necessary to pay attention to cases where, although they are the right subjects, they are willing to give way to others who are more disadvantaged than themselves, in order to have instructions on implementing procedures and documents," said Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung.

The disadvantaged in the province are also a group of people who have access to social security packages. Photo courtesy of Thanh Cuong

The Minister also pointed out: For the group of social protection beneficiaries, it will only be resolved for those who are receiving monthly policy benefits, while those who are being cared for in local protection facilities are not eligible.

The Minister also affirmed that no further instructions will be issued, and that localities, levels, and sectors need to follow the detailed instructions in Decision No. 15/2020/QD-TTg dated April 24, 2020. The groups of beneficiaries, sponsors, the poor, and near-poor have a number that need to be implemented immediately, while at the same time, a quick review of labor groups is needed to ensure accuracy. Localities also need to have a monitoring mechanism to prevent businesses from taking advantage of policies.

For districts, cities and towns of Nghe An, comrade Bui Dinh Long requested that localities clearly understand the requirements of Minister Dao Ngoc Dung and pay attention to cases of policy concession.

"Localities need to quickly review the subjects in the supported group for quick implementation. Localities with the list first will be paid first; relevant departments and branches need to have a monitoring mechanism to ensure the list is accurate," the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee emphasized.