VietNamNet Bridge – Enterprises are urging a higher maximum overtime limit in the draft of the amended Labour Code to be debated by the National Assembly next month.

Workers of the Kim Toan Garment Co in Hung Yen Province. (Photo: VNS)
Under the draft, workers would not be allowed to exceed 30 hours of overtime per month, or a total of 360 hours per year.

At a conference held here by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on Monday, most enterprises agreed that 30 hours was too little to meet the needs of both enterprises and labourers.

Hung Yen Garment Co general director Nguyen Xuan Duong said garment workers often had to work over 30 hours of overtime in peak months to meet contracts.

Workers also counted on this extra income to make ends meet, Duong said. He pointed out that his company's workers could earn VND4 million (US$190) per month if they worked two hours overtime on average per day.

"An extension of maximum overtime is necessary to make it easier for enterprises to meet the production targets as well as ensure the income of workers," said Duong.

Nguyen Thi Van, a worker at an electronics company in the northern province of Bac Ninh, said that she wanted to work overtime to increase her monthly wages, and that two hours overtime per day on average would be appropriate to ensure her heath.

Japan Business Association president Shuto Noriaki was quoted by the newspaper Tin Tuc (News) as saying that the maximum overtime limit of 30 hours per month would cause difficulties for Japanese enterprises investing in high-technology fields. He expected an appropriate increase in overtime limit and flexibility in the regulation to encourage and attract more investment.

A representative from the South Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry also suggested an increase in maximum overtime from 200 hours to about 400 hours per year, saying that most foreign enterprises were not satisfied with the current limit.

Flexibility between enterprises and workers in negotiating overtime within the limits regulated by the Government would be important, according to the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham).

The maximum overtime limit must receive careful consideration to balance the rights of enterprises and workers, emphasised National Assembly Economic Committee chairman Nguyen Van Giau.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News