The disadvantaged and disadvantaged in Nghe An will be supported with at least 500,000 VND/month.

Will be an effective "ventilator"

In order to promptly help businesses overcome difficulties, in recent days, many support packages have been continuously introduced. One of the timely supports that is receiving attention from businesses is that the Social Insurance Agency has decided to temporarily suspend pension and death fund contributions for businesses in the passenger transport, tourism, textile, accommodation, restaurant and other special industries facing difficulties due to the Covid-19 epidemic.

Social insurance agency launches support package for businesses in passenger transport, tourism, textile and garment service industries... Photo: My Ha

According to Mr. Hoang Quang Phuc - Head of Collection Management Department, Provincial Social Insurance: "The amount of death and pension contributions accounts for 22% of the total amount of social insurance that businesses have to pay for employees. Therefore, with the extension policy (for the time being 3 months) will help businesses save a huge amount of money to pay salaries to employees or invest in production and business. Through synthesis, the whole province has 6,198 businesses affected by the Covid-19 epidemic with 138,585 employees working at the businesses. We also expect that, with a very large number of workers, the amount of money temporarily suspended from paying pension and death funds of the whole province in 3 months will be more than 392 billion VND, 6 months will be more than 784 billion VND and 9 months will be more than 1,100 billion VND".

Before issuing this document, the provincial Social Insurance agency and the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs also sent a document to all businesses in the province to survey the situation and guide businesses to report on the production and business situation in 2020. Receiving this information, representatives of many businesses expressed their joy, because the temporary suspension of pension and death insurance fund contributions not only helps businesses temporarily save a significant amount of costs, but this is also an indirect form of helping businesses retain employees.

The temporary closure of life skills centers has made life difficult for teachers. Photo: My Ha

Mr. Dang Minh Chuong - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tuoi Tho Kindergarten said: "From January until now, our school has had no students and no source of income. Meanwhile, the unit has more than 80 staff and teachers who need to be assured of policies and regimes, especially social insurance. With this support policy, we are somewhat reassured and have set aside a reserve fund to partially support teachers' salaries, helping them feel secure in their work and stay with the school for a long time."

At Thanh Cong Brick and Tile Joint Stock Company, the company is currently operating at a standstill because its consumption has seriously decreased. Mr. Tran Xuan Dong - Deputy Director of the Company said: "All of our seasonal workers have quit their jobs and only workers with long-term contracts remain. Paying salaries to workers and other policies is still difficult. Therefore, at this time, any support program, no matter how small, is a great source of encouragement for us to have more motivation to overcome this epidemic."

In another development, when asked if they had heard about the support they would receive, patients in the "dialysis hamlet" of hamlet 10, Nghi Phu commune (Vinh city) said that they all knew which group they would be in, but they were a bit worried about whether they would receive government support if they did not return to their hometowns but stayed at this temporary shelter. "If my child does not bring money down next week, I will not know where to buy food. I just hope that the government support money will come soon so that I can escape the situation of borrowing and debt," said patient Luong Thi Tuan.

Patients in a "dialysis neighborhood" in Vinh City hope for support from the Government during difficult times due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic. Photo: Thanh Cuong

In Nghi Loc district, Mr. Dang Van Luong - Head of the district's Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs said that the whole district currently has 637 poor households and 2,402 near-poor households, most of whom are families unable to work. "Currently, many people have gone to the district and commune offices to ask a lot about this relief package. The review and understanding of the poor, near-poor and sponsored subjects is quite clear, but for the subjects who are freelance workers and individual businesses in the area, it is relatively difficult, it is very easy to miss and wrong subjects. Therefore, more than ever, we need the active and urgent participation of the entire political system, especially the grassroots cadres."

Through a quick review, the total number of meritorious people and their relatives receiving monthly preferential allowances in the province as of March 31, 2020 was 70,433 people; the total number of social protection beneficiaries receiving monthly social allowances in the community as of April 8, 2020 was 133,140 people; the total number of poor households was 41,041 households; near-poor households was 75,398 households. The total number of people in poor and near-poor households was 485,298 people, of which the number of people receiving preferential policies for meritorious people and monthly social assistance was 8,767 people.

Need to check the right people, the right objects

According to the latest statement of Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung, this social security relief package will be implemented in April for vulnerable people, poor and near-poor households. And, starting this week, localities have conducted a review of labor groups that are heavily affected by the pandemic and are eligible for support. The most important thing is how to review so that no one is left out, but also not the wrong person. And how to make this unprecedented relief package of the Government reach the people as quickly as possible.

The number of workers registering for unemployment insurance increased in the first months of the year. Photo: My Ha

According to statistics of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, as of April 8, 2020, through a survey by the Management Board of the Southeast Economic Zone, the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns, there were 906 enterprises reporting, of which 105 enterprises were affected by the Covid-19 epidemic (10 transportation enterprises; 42 manufacturing enterprises; 53 hotels, restaurants and other services). The total number of affected workers was 9,384 people (of which 701 workers had their labor contracts terminated; 4,314 workers were temporarily suspended; and 4,369 workers were affected by other factors (rotational leave, reduced income).

Based on Official Dispatch No. 1064/LĐTBXH-QHLĐTL dated March 25, 2020 of the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Director of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs issued Document No. 906/LĐTBXH-LĐ dated April 3, 2020 guiding the payment of wages for work suspension and settlement of benefits for employees during the work suspension period caused by the Covid-19 epidemic.

According to Mr. Doan Hong Vu - Director of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Nghe An: The review, identification and statistics of employees who have temporarily suspended the performance of their labor contracts, agreed to take unpaid leave with their employers for 14 working days or more; employees whose labor contracts/work contracts have been terminated but are not eligible for unemployment benefits; especially employees who do not have labor contracts (freelance workers) and have lost their jobs, have a wide scope, a large number of subjects, and must be counted from many units, businesses and localities, so there needs to be detailed and specific instructions so that the implementation process ensures support for the right purpose, the right subjects, and is not exploited or taken advantage of.

There needs to be detailed and specific guidance so that the implementation process ensures support is for the right purposes, the right subjects, and that policies are not exploited or taken advantage of. Photo: Thanh Nga

In addition, the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs will coordinate with the Provincial Social Policy Bank to implement the Central's guidance for businesses in difficulty that need to borrow capital from the Social Policy Bank.

The Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs also recommended: Supported subjects who are eligible for two or more support policies will only receive the highest support policy, so it requires review and statistics from the locality based on the subject's request. What is most needed now is to have specific detailed instructions for the group of subjects who are freelance workers who have lost their jobs due to the epidemic and the group of individual business households with an income of less than 100 million VND/year.

The groups of beneficiaries of the relief package include:

1. People with revolutionary contributions who are receiving benefits. Support level: 500,000 VND/month April, May, June.

2. Social protection beneficiaries receiving monthly benefits. Support level: 500,000 VND/month 4, 5, 6.

3. Poor and near-poor households. Benefit level: 250,000 VND/person/month April, May, June.

4. People working at enterprises whose work is temporarily suspended due to the impact of the epidemic. Support level: 1,800,000 VND/month 4, 5, 6.

5. Employers: Get 0% interest loans to support 50% of the regional minimum wage paid to employees for 12 months.

6. Individual business households with income under 100 million VND/year have their business temporarily suspended. Support level: 1,000,000 VND/month 4, 5, 6.

7. Employees who have to terminate their labor contracts and are not eligible for unemployment benefits. Support level: 1,000,000 VND/month 4, 5, 6.

8. Workers without labor contracts who lose their jobs. Support level: 1,000,000 VND/month 4, 5, 6.