A commotion at the 'junk market'

(Baonghean) - For many years, in areas such as Tam Giac flower garden, Kenh Bac bridge, Cua Nam flower garden, Nga 6 intersection, etc., people in Vinh City have become familiar with the sight of freelance workers from suburban communes or neighboring districts gathering and waiting for work…

The hardships of making a living

Located in the heart of Vinh City, where many main roads intersect, the fountain flower garden area (also known as the Triangle Flower Garden, located in Quang Trung ward) has become a "manual labor market" for over a decade.

Every day, dozens, sometimes even nearly a hundred people, come here waiting for work, mainly from suburban wards and communes of Vinh City and surrounding areas such as Hung Nguyen, Nam Dan, Nghi Loc... Most of them are farmers taking advantage of their free time during the agricultural off-season to find extra work, but many also consider this their main job and primary source of income for their families.

Ms. Pham Thi Hien, from Dong Vinh ward (Vinh City), said that she has been making a living from this profession for over 10 years, only having to take time off when she is sick or has special family events. “Although this job is hard, the income is still better than farming. On average, I earn about 200,000 dong per day. For farmers, especially women, that's quite good.”

Workers waiting for work at the triangular flower garden.

Observation reveals that the majority of laborers at this "junk market" are women, as their main tasks involve carrying construction materials, tidying up, cleaning houses, and cleaning construction sites—jobs that suit women's physical strength and diligence.

As for the men, besides jobs like heavy lifting, construction work, and painting, they also have a "side job" as motorbike taxi drivers. Le Van Hung from Hung Xa commune (Hung Nguyen district) said: "More and more people are waiting for work, so jobs are becoming scarcer. Therefore, I tried to save up to buy a motorbike so I could get around faster and also work as a motorbike taxi driver when there are customers."

Besides the flower garden with fountains, Vinh City also has several other "manual labor markets" - places where many freelance workers gather waiting for work, such as the North Canal Bridge, the South Gate Flower Garden, the Six-Way Intersection, Tran Hung Dao Street, the Tien Gate Bridge, etc. Their means of transportation are mainly bicycles, along with various items like carrying poles, hoes, shovels, knives, sickles, etc.

Mr. Tran Van Hoa, a worker waiting for work in the Cua Nam flower garden area, said: “Our work is usually busiest at the beginning and end of the year because that’s when many families build or renovate their houses; there’s quite little work right now. The work is erratic, but if I quit, I don’t know what I’ll do to make a living and support my children’s education. I’m over 40 years old now, and no one will hire me as a factory worker…”

Management needs to be strengthened.

Walking through these "manual labor markets," one sees that there are few jobs but many people. While waiting, some lie down, others sit, vehicles and carrying poles occupy the sidewalks and roadsides, and some even pick vegetables... Whenever someone comes to hire a worker, everyone rushes out to compete for the job, haggling with the hirer, causing disorder and affecting traffic safety.

Moreover, after waiting a long time without anyone coming to hire them, some male laborers gathered in groups to play cards for money, sometimes getting into arguments and causing a commotion on the street corner… At lunchtime, these groups would spread out their rice balls and packed lunches to eat and carelessly throw their trash onto the sidewalk.

Through conversations, it was learned that their work also involves many risks. Commonly, the employment agreement between employers and workers is only verbal, so when conflicts arise, workers often have to accept the disadvantages.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lam from Hung Nguyen district said: "Once, my group accepted a job carrying building materials for a 4-story house on Pham Dinh Toai street for 20 million VND. Initially, I was very happy because building a 4-story house would at least provide regular work for 5-6 months."

However, with only a few days left until the completion of the structural work, the homeowner and the contractor had a disagreement. The homeowner refused to pay the contractor, so we only received the 5 million VND advance payment, and the remaining 15 million VND was lost.”

Furthermore, during the course of work, there may be accidents such as sprains, injuries to soft tissues, or even broken bones... in which case all treatment costs are entirely the responsibility of the worker.

Workers waiting for jobs at Nga 6 market.

During the process of urbanization and labor restructuring in rural areas, the formation of "manual labor markets" in Vinh City is inevitable, because where there is supply, there is demand. To prevent these labor markets from affecting public order, traffic safety, and urban aesthetics, the ward authorities need to step in and strengthen efforts to remind and rectify the chaotic and unsightly conditions at these "manual labor markets".

Mr. Ha Thai Son, Chairman of the Quang Trung Ward People's Committee, said: "Since the establishment of the 'labor market' in the fountain garden, we have always created favorable conditions for them to work, because most of them are elderly people who, due to difficult family circumstances, have to come here to sell their labor."

Due to the nature of freelance work, management is not simple. Today they are in one place, tomorrow they are in another, and sometimes they move to several locations in a single day. However, to date, we have not recorded any security or public order issues from the "labor market" located in this ward.

In Cua Nam ward, Mr. Tran Hoang Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Ward People's Committee, said: "During the times the ward's urban order team went out to clear the encroachment on sidewalks and roads, they reminded the workers waiting for work at Cua Nam flower garden not to stand or sit on the sidewalks and not to litter indiscriminately, but they haven't dealt with any violations yet. These people are poor, so the team has been somewhat lenient."

Minh Quân - Cảnh Nam