Vietnam Drafting Law to Stop Strikes

Friday, April 20 2007 @ 06:39 AM PDT - Infoshop News
http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=200704200639...

14/4/2007 - During March, there were 35 strikes in Vietnam, of which 33 were at FDIs (Foreign Direct Investment companies). Most were at Dong Nai and Binh Duong provinces, with high FDI concentrations.

The main cause of the strikes were about wages - from wages being set too low, to delayed payment of wages, to setting the standard hours too high to avoid paying the minimum wages applicable to them.

Some strikes were also caused by employers abusing workers - for example officials at Canon tying female workers' legs to the sewing machine table.

However, the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs is drafting [a] law to prevent strikes. Workers taking part in 'illegal' strikes will be responsible for compensating employers for economic losses arising, or for employers' costs of preventing or dealing with the strikes.

Under current IR law, nearly no strike is legal, because none is organised by state-run unions. Also, the law requires strikers to first comply with a complex process of negotiations, notification, and adjudication by the regime.

14/4/2007 Ca Mau - More than 200 strikers demanding wage increases

More than 200 workers in Ca Mau at Factory 4 of the seafood Camimex Import Export have struck. After unsuccessful negotiations with employers, the strikers went to MOLISA's local office to request intervention.

The strikers say they must carry out extremely heavy work in a harmful work environment, the employers' terms on wages are not clear, and the 900,000 dong/month wage is not fair.

Camimex is a state-owned company recently privatised, now with 51% state control. There are 1,700 workers employed on a long-term basis, plus more than 1,000 casual workers.

There have been several strikes at Camimex in the past, on wage and workplace safety issues.
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