Strike at Viet Glory Company Limited: Concerns from 'bad precedent'

Third strike

The strike of near6,000 workersViet Glory Company Limited has been causing a stir in public opinion in recent days. It is worth mentioning that this is the third strike at this company, although the company has only been in operation for 3 years.

Accordingly, after lunch on October 2, thousands of workers of Viet Glory Company Ltd. gathered at the parking lot and left en masse, not working the afternoon shift. When the incident occurred, the Dien Chau District Labor Federation and the district's functional agencies were present, grasping the concerns and collecting opinions of the workers.

After working privately with the workers’ representatives, the union recorded 8 groups of recommendations from the workers and forwarded them to the company’s leadership, of which the two main contents were to increase the basic salary and review the piece rate. The remaining contents were related to other worker benefits such as hazardous regimes, maternity leave, fines for diligence, meeting time, management attitude, timekeeping mechanism, etc.

On October 2, Viet Glory Company Limited issued a notice responding to the petitions sent to employees. Specifically, the company's leaders said that according to regulations, the regional minimum wage that VietGlory Company Limited must pay to workers is 3,640,000 VND/month. Currently, the company has paid workers 4,130,000 VND/month, higher than the prescribed level. The current difficult business and production situation does not allow the company to adjust the basic salary higher, hoping that employees will sympathize and share.

Regarding the issue of output, the company did not explain clearly but only gave a solution to the situation: To encourage the spirit of the staff and workers while increasing income to ensure the lives of workers, the company decided to increase the output bonus for all staff and workers of the factory on October 1, 2023.

Some recommendations related to the working attitude of managers, timekeeping machines, meeting times, etc. were accepted and adjusted by the company. The company also promised to consider and resolve 2 recommendations to increase the number of people eligible for toxic allowances, increase toxic allowances and 13th month bonuses in the coming time. In this announcement, the company's Board of Directors also requested all workers to return to work on the morning of October 3. Workers who do not come to work will be handled according to the law and the company's regulations, workers who take 5 days off during the month will be fired.

After this announcement, in the following days, workers of Viet Glory Company continued to gather in front of the company gate without returning to the factory to work. On October 4, an interdisciplinary delegation with representatives of the Nghe An Provincial Labor Federation, the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, and related agencies, departments and sectors were present, directly dialogued with the workers and grasped the workers' wishes. The delegation also called on the workers to return to work soon to ensure wages and income for workers as well as maintain the company's production activities.

After the dialogue with the workers, the working group had a dialogue with the business owner about the workers' recommendations and concerns. Concluding the working session on October 4, the working group requested the company, the District Labor Federation, and the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Dien Chau district to coordinate to issue a notice of the working results, disseminate the content of the notice to the workers, and encourage workers to return to work soon. At the same time, after stabilizing the situation, the People's Committee of Dien Chau district needs to establish an interdisciplinary inspection team to organize a comprehensive inspection of the implementation of labor laws at Viet Glory Company Limited.

Previously, on February 16, 2021 (the 5th day of the Lunar New Year), more than 1,400 workers of Viet Glory Company Limited also stopped working collectively to demand their rights. After some petitions were resolved, on February 18, 2021, the workers returned to work as usual. After the participation of the Dien Chau District Labor Federation and the Nghe An Provincial Labor Federation, the company established a grassroots union in March 2021.

One year later, February 7, 2022, the first day back to work afterLunar New Year holidayIn Quy Mao, nearly 5,000 workers of this company continued to stop working to demand their rights. By February 13, 2022, the workers had returned to work after their petitions were resolved by the company, in which workers received a 6% increase in basic salary, and additional seniority pay for workers who had worked for 1 year or more.

“There is no need to resort to this measure”

During the working session with the interdisciplinary delegation on the morning of October 4,Company LeadershipViet Glory Company said: “These recommendations can be submitted directly to the company by workers so that we can consider and amend them accordingly. It is not necessary to resort to this last resort” (strike - PV). Indeed, from the information of the interdisciplinary delegation, it can be seen that many of the recommendations stem from the fact that workers do not know, do not understand, and do not grasp. Or more correctly, there is a lack of connection, communication, and dialogue between workers and businesses to understand each other and find a common voice.

Specifically, many workers complained that high production pressure forced workers to extend working hours to complete standard quotas, which should have been considered overtime. In addition, production was not fixed but always increased on subsequent production days.

Responding to this issue, the company's leaders affirmed that the production rate is applied in a systematic process. When receiving a new product sample, the technical department will produce a sample, then check and calculate the working time before applying the production rate to all companies in the group. Accordingly, in the first days of making a new sample, the workers are not familiar with it, so the output is low, but in the following days, when they are familiar with it, the output must be gradually increased to reach the group's target. Currently, the company's output only reaches 50-70% of the target of other companies in the group.

Regarding maternity, workers reported that female workers working in toxic departments were transferred to other departments when they became pregnant and had their toxic allowances cut. Pregnant workers from the 7th month were not allowed to take an hour off work early as prescribed and were given early maternity leave. The company representative replied that according to regulations, pregnant workers would be transferred to lighter production departments to ensure worker safety and would still be allowed to take an hour off work early. From October 2023, the company committed to not requiring maternity leave for pregnant workers up to the 7th month. At the same time, workers must commit to ensuring their own health so as not to affect the business.

Regarding hazardous allowance,Workerargued that it was unfair if some people in the same line received toxic benefits and some did not. The company replied that on the same line, some departments would receive toxic benefits and some would not. In addition, the beneficiaries of toxic benefits also depended on the product model and workers who passed the skill test would be eligible for this benefit.

Regarding forcing workers to work 10-15 minutes before their shift starts, the company replied that there was no such thing as forcing workers to work overtime, and that they would find out who made this request and handle it...

In the above contents, the interdisciplinary delegation raised many questions about why workers did not understand the company's regulations and procedures, why the company did not explain and clarify the issue from the beginning, and did not publicly announce the long-term plan for workers to understand... Responding to the interdisciplinary delegation, the company promised that in the coming time, it would disseminate to workers related information such as the specific positions that are entitled to the toxic effects of each production line, the production application process...

The company's leaders also informed that, although they have placed suggestion boxes at the production lines, in places hidden from cameras, they have not received any suggestions or questions from workers. If they do receive them, they will definitely resolve the problems promptly. To ensure the accuracy of information transmission, the company will organize meetings in each department.

Previously, on the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2023, Nghe An trade unions at all levels conducted a survey to grasp the situation at this enterprise and recorded the stability in labor relations. Although orders decreased, the company still requested more orders from other companies to maintain work and ensure income for workers. The company representative also said that the company is preparing to deploy phase 2 construction with a larger factory scale.

“It would be very worrying if workers think that if there is a conflict, they will strike, and if they strike, all demands will be met. Strikes cause a lot of damage to businesses, workers and the investment environment of the province. Workers need to be clear-headed in recognizing right and wrong, thinking long-term to find a solution that benefits all parties,” said Mr. Nguyen Chi Cong, Vice Chairman of the Provincial Federation of Labor. As a trade union, Mr. Cong hopes that businesses and workers can find a common voice, on the basis of harmonizing interests and in accordance with legal regulations as well as the company's current capabilities.

On October 6 and 7, nearly 1,500 workers worked after receivingDirectof the Provincial People's Committee and the mobilization of trade unions at all levels.

Also on October 7, comrade Ha Xuan Quang - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of Dien Chau District Party Committee and representatives of district-level departments and agencies had a meeting with the Board of Directors of Viet Glory Company Limited to discuss some solutions. According to the plan, on the morning of October 9, departments and agencies will continue to be present to mobilize workers to work.