Housing for Nghe An workers: 'Boost' from Decree 49/2021/ND-CP

GREAT DEMAND FOR HOUSING FROM WORKERS

In many surveys of Nghe An trade unions at all levels, the issue of workers' housing is always one of the issues that receives much attention. Most workers have a great need for housing but in reality cannot meet it.

Workers' dormitory in Bac Vinh Industrial Park has deteriorated and become damp. Photo: DT

During the working session of the Provincial Labor Federation at Minh Anh Garment Company Limited, worker Vi Van Cuong (Con Cuong) shared: "I have worked at the company for more than 12 years now, and both my husband and I are currently working.rent, I am being raised by my grandparents in the mountainous district of Con Cuong. With the income of both husband and wife, buying a small house to settle down in Vinh city is unthinkable. Therefore, I hope thatunion organizationcan support and create conditions for workers like us to rent or buy cheap houses to stabilize our lives and feel secure in production".

Sharing the same wish, Ms. Ngo Thi Thu also hopes for a new housing policy for workers to improve living conditions. Currently, she and her husband and two young children are renting a room in one of the boarding houses on Dang Thai Mai Street. Her 18m2 room is the living space for all four members. Although cramped and lacking, she cannot bear to send her children back to the countryside for their grandparents to take care of. “I understand that the living conditions in the boarding house are not suitable for the children, they are cramped, unsafe, and complicated. But because I want to raise and take care of my children myself instead of leaving it to my grandparents, I have to accept it. I have heard about the trade union institution with housing projects for workers, playgrounds, cultural houses... I just hope that this project will be implemented soon so that we have the opportunity to use it,” Ms. Thu confided.

The problem of Mr. Cuong and Ms. Thu is also the problem of thousands of workers in the province. The representative of the Management Board of the Southeast Economic Zone also said that the main reason for this situation is that the previous planning has not determined and arranged suitable land funds to build housing for workers. In addition, the development of mechanisms, policies, promotion, investment attraction, and encouragement of social housing projects have not received attention, and investment procedures still have many difficulties and obstacles in the implementation process. In addition, the most difficult thing is still investment capital.

According to the Southeast Economic Zone Trade Union, there are currently nearly 24,000 workers working in Nghe An's industrial parks, of which nearly 7,000 are in need of housing. However, the number of investors setting up projects to build housing areas for sale or rent to workers in Nghe An province is very small, the number of workers who have to pay for their own housing is still very large. At VSIP Industrial Park, some enterprises have invested in building dormitories for workers, ensuring accommodation for thousands of workers, but most other units have not paid attention to this item.

"BOOST" FROM DECREE 49/2021/ND-CP

To remove the bottleneck of workers' housing, on April 1, 2021, the Government issued Decree 49/2021/ND-CP to replace Decree 100/2015/ND-CP on the development and management of social housing, which stipulates the mandatory allocation of land funds to build housing for workers in industrial parks.Trade Union InstitutionThis is considered an important "push" that can solve problems for social housing in general and housing for workers in industrial parks in particular.

Nghia Dan District Labor Federation visited and presented Covid-19 support gifts to workers at the boarding house. Photo: CĐND

Mr. Vuong An Nguyen - Chairman of the Trade Union of the Southeast Economic Zone shared: “Decree 49/2021/ND-CP has resolved the problems and shortcomings in housing issues as well as building trade union institutions for workers. I believe that when investors are allocated “clean” land for construction, the above items will soon be implemented, helping workers “settle down”, improve their lives, and escape the situation of renting in cramped, hot houses”.

Since 2017, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor has chosen Bac Vinh Industrial Park to implement the project.Trade Union Institutionfor workers with an allocated land area of ​​5 hectares. This project has an investment of more than 500 billion VND, including 12 9-storey apartment buildings, a supermarket, a multi-purpose house, a sports field, a kindergarten... Decree 49/2021/ND-CP coming into effect will be an important legal basis for the project to be soon implemented in Bac Vinh Industrial Park in the near future.

Decree 49/2021/ND-CP of the Government amended Article 6 of Decree 100/2015/ND-CP on Land fund for social housing development in industrial parks as follows:

1. When preparing and approving the construction plan of an industrial park, the competent authority approving the plan must clearly determine the appropriate land area in the area for the construction of social housing.

2. In case an industrial park is in the formation stage, the Provincial People's Committee is responsible for directing and organizing site clearance and investing in the construction of technical infrastructure for social housing for workers and laborers working in that industrial park.

3. In case an industrial park has been established but does not have or does not have enough housing for workers and laborers working in that industrial park, the planning and arrangement of land fund to develop social housing in the industrial park shall be implemented as follows:

a) The People's Committee at the provincial level is responsible for organizing the establishment, appraisal, and approval of planning (or planning adjustment) to supplement appropriate land funds for social housing development;

b) For industrial parks that have not fully utilized their industrial land area, competent state agencies may adjust the construction planning of such industrial parks to reserve land area for the development of social housing and trade union facilities for workers.