The Lunar New Year bonus wasn't as good as expected!

Anxiously awaiting the reward.

Calling his family in Ha Huy Tap ward (Vinh City), Bui Anh Thang, a worker at a leather shoe manufacturing company in Bac Giang province, said: "The company hasn't finalized the Tet bonus yet, and even if there is one, it won't make much difference because we suffered losses last year and had too few orders. If there's no Tet bonus, it's like there's no Tet this year, and I probably won't be able to go home."

For months on end, Thang had to take rotating leave because there were no orders to work, and his income was only two-thirds of what it used to be. Many of Thang's colleagues chose to withdraw their social insurance contributions in a lump sum to have money to spend during Tet (Lunar New Year).

Similarly, Ms. Le Thi Thuy, a worker renting accommodation on Dang Thai Mai Street (Bac Vinh Industrial Zone - Vinh City), also said that she doesn't expect a Lunar New Year bonus because the company's production and business have seriously declined. "In previous years, around this time, we would have to work overtime to complete orders before the Tet holiday, but this year production is only at a slow pace. This means we won't receive any extra overtime pay. The company hasn't announced the official Tet bonus amount yet, but everyone understands that the business is facing difficulties, so we don't have high expectations; we just hope to have work and orders to produce."

Ms. Vy Thi Xuan, a worker at Woosin Vina Company in the VSIP Industrial Park (Nghe An), said that last year, the company's Tet bonus was 1 million VND in cash and 2 liters of cooking oil. In addition, there was support from the trade union. "Both my husband and I are factory workers, and we have two young children living with us. If we didn't receive the Tet bonus, our family would struggle, and we wouldn't know where to get the money to pay off our debts," Ms. Xuan confided.

Although the business situation is quite bleak, Thang, Thuy, and Xuan all believe that it is still much better than some struggling businesses that subtly dismiss employees before Tet to avoid paying bonuses – an outrageous practice adopted by some companies.

"I heard on TV, in newspapers, and on the radio about the levels."Tet bonus"Even with billions or hundreds of millions of dong in investment, I feel sorry for the workers. At our company, just having work to do is a great achievement," shared Mr. Tran Dinh Hao, the owner of a construction company in Vinh City. According to Mr. Hao, although construction material prices have decreased in the last months of the year, there are still very few projects. Many workers, understanding the situation, have proactively requested temporary leave to pursue other jobs.

Efforts to "have a Tet holiday"

Instead of passively waiting for Tet bonuses from his company, Mr. Dau Duc Anh (Hung Loc commune, Vinh City) proactively found ways to earn extra money for Tet to take care of his family.

“In previous years, I proactively requested overtime to earn extra money, but this year I've voluntarily taken unpaid leave. My company manufactures packaging, and since the beginning of the year, orders have been very low, and workers have been taking turns on leave, resulting in very low income. While waiting for the company to recover, I'm taking advantage of the opportunity to do extra delivery work within Vinh city,” shared Duc Anh.

Thanks to this flexibility, he earned an additional income of over 10 million VND last December. With the increased demand for goods transportation before Tet (Lunar New Year), Mr. Duc Anh believes that he will accumulate a considerable amount more between now and Tet.

With the same proactive spirit, Ms. Le Thi Thuy also takes advantage of selling some essential goods to supplement her income. She confided: "My hometown is in Quy Chau, so I sell local specialties like dried bamboo shoots, upland sticky rice, incense... Luckily, my products are supported by friends and acquaintances, so I have extra money to prepare for Tet."

Efforts to ensure a happy Tet holiday are not limited to workers. Ms. Tran Thi Nguyet, Vice President of the Trade Union of the Southeast Economic Zone, shared: “Despite difficulties due to declining business and production, and a lack of orders, businesses have made great efforts to provide appropriate Tet bonuses for their workers. In the Southeast Economic Zone, 100% of businesses provide bonuses, and most of them do.”bonus"Equivalent to one month's basic salary, approximately 4.2 million VND."

In the same spirit, Mr. Tran Dinh Hao shared: "Despite the difficulties, the company still tries to arrange for employees to receive a Tet bonus to boost morale and retain staff."

In an effort to take care of workers,trade union levelsMany meaningful and practical activities have also been implemented. In Nghe An, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor provided 1.55 billion VND to support Tet celebrations. This included providing 500 gift packages worth 650 million VND to the Provincial Labor Federation; and providing 3,000 free shopping vouchers (each worth 300,000 VND), totaling 900 million VND, for workers and laborers in Nghe An participating in the "Trade Union Tet Market" program in 2024.

The Provincial Labor Union will also allocate 644 million VND from its regular operating budget to support workers in difficult circumstances. Of this amount, the Provincial Labor Union will provide subsidies of 500,000 VND each to 858 workers in difficult circumstances, totaling 429 million VND. It will also organize the "Tet Reunion – Spring Sharing" program for 250 workers, totaling 125 million VND…

In addition, the Labor Federations of districts, cities, towns, and industry-specific unions are expected to spend 4.941 billion VND to support 6,682 workers and laborers in difficult circumstances. Of this amount, 3.341 billion VND will be used to care for and support union members, workers, and laborers, and 1.6 billion VND will be used to organize 48 "Tet Reunion - Spring Sharing" programs.

According to the survey, grassroots trade unions throughout the province are expected to provide support and assistance to more than 15,000 union members, workers, and laborers. The estimated amount is nearly 12 billion VND from grassroots trade union funds, social contributions, and support from businesses…/.

Diep Thanh