Nghe An Labor Federation provides emergency support for repatriated workers

From love to action

In early October, in harsh weather conditions due to rain and wind, the government and many organizations and units were present at Ben Thuy II bridge to support workers returning home. Among them, there were blue shirts of the trade union organization. Witnessing the immeasurable hardships and difficulties of workers, on October 6, the leaders of the Provincial Federation of Labor decided to deployemergency assistance programfor these workers with a support level of 500,000 VND/person. This humane decision quickly spread in the community, was widely shared on social networks and received the attention of thousands of workers.

Workers return from the southern provinces during the rainy and windy days. Photo: Labor Union

According to the original plan, this program is applied to employees who are working in 2021 at enterprises paying union fees in the Southern provinces and are in difficult circumstances. Specifically: Female employees who are 7 months pregnant or older or raising children under 24 months old; employees whose spouses or children are sick and require long-term treatment; Union members and employees who have had work-related accidents or occupational diseases and are receiving monthly allowances; Union members who in 2020 and 2021 were affected by natural disasters, floods, landslides, etc.; employees' families are poor or near-poor households.

Union officials of the Provincial Federation of Labor cook sticky rice in the morning to send to workers returning from the southern provinces at Ben Thuy II bridge. Photo: Federation of Labor

Sharing about this change, Ms. Hoang Thi Thu Huong - Head of the Department of Legal Policy and Labor Relations said: "On the very first day since information about the program was widely disseminated, hundreds of workers connected to the hotline of the Provincial Federation of Labor to receive advice and support. During the consultation process, we realized that the rate of people eligible for support was not high. The changes will help the support package reach more people.workermore and ensure the timeliness of the program".

In recent days, Nghe An Trade Union has been present at Ben Thuy II Bridge to support workers returning from the southern provinces. Photo: PV

To implement the emergency support program, the Labor Federations of districts, cities and towns are responsible for distributing information survey forms to workers returning from the South, synthesizing the forms and classifying the subjects. After the Provincial Labor Federation verifies that the enterprises where the workers work have paid union fees, the Labor Federations of districts, cities and towns will proceed to pay support in installments to the workers in cash or by bank transfer.

Work hard for workers

Directing the implementation of this support program, comrade Kha Van Tam - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial Federation of Labor emphasized: "Each Nghe An trade union official needs to participate with determination, responsibility and the highest effort, units need to be flexible, creative, not mechanical, rigid, creating the fastest solutions for workers. During the implementation process, it is necessary to ensure absolute safety in epidemic prevention and control work".

The Vinh City Labor Federation and the Nghia Dan District Labor Federation visited and encouraged the forces on duty at the centralized quarantine area and distributed survey forms to workers. Photo: PV

From the spirit of the leaders, Nghe An Labor Union has thoroughly started implementing the program since October 8, continuously declaring and consulting workers, regardless of hours, regardless of holidays such as Saturdays and Sundays. The Provincial Labor Federation has also sent more union officials to support localities with a large number of workers. To ensure safety and speed, some district, city, and town Labor Federations have been creative in applying information technology in surveying and screening beneficiaries.

Because there is a quarantine area in the province with a large number of workers, Cua Lo Labor Union quickly applied the QR code scanning method for workers to receive and fill out the survey form via smartphone. This method not only minimizes the risk of disease transmission during the data collection process, but also minimizes the screening time and still ensures high accuracy. Similarly, Vinh City Labor Union and some other localities also apply the QR code scanning method combined with distributing survey forms. After filling out the form, workers will take a photo and send it to the union staff via the phone number printed on the form.

Realizing that she is eligible to receive the support package from Nghe An Trade Union, Ms. Vu Thi Mau (Yen Thanh) confided: “I am 36 weeks pregnant with my third child and am a union member of a company in Nhon Trach (Dong Nai). The past few months have been extremely difficult for me because I have no income, am in need, and am depressed... The enthusiastic support and advice from Nghe An Trade Union officials makes me feel warm and very encouraged. I hope the support package will reach workers as soon as possible, ensuring the urgency set forth by the Provincial Federation of Labor.”

Trade unions in many districts, cities and towns have posted QR codes for workers to conduct surveys on mobile devices. Photo: PV

Ms. Dieu Hoa's concerns are also the concerns of many union officials who are surveying and supporting workers in districts, cities and towns across the province. Besides the joy of receiving support, many workers have to be sad when they know they are not eligible. Mr. Pham Manh Cuong (Nghia Dan) is one of many such cases. He shared: "My wife and I used to be workers but did not keep any documents to prove it, and we are not in the difficult category listed by the Provincial Federation of Labor. Hopefully, in the future, support packages like this will be expanded to more subjects and more flexible in approval so that more workers can access it," Mr. Cuong shared.

Union officials of the Cua Lo Town Labor Federation work regardless of holidays to check the beneficiaries. Photo: PV

Workers can contact the union working groups at quarantine points; contact the district, city, and town Labor Federations; or call the provincial Labor Federation hotline: 0375037037, 0919742006 to receive advice and support from the union organization.

Diep Thanh