VietNamNet Bridge – Le Quang Trung, head of the Department of Labor Management in the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has decided to make public names of all those companies that are employing illegal foreign workers.

Chinese without work permits to be expelled

Chinese workers employed without qualifications

Chinese firm faces action for using illegal workers

1,000 Chinese work without permits in Ca Mau

Trung said this measure was meant to put an end to the influx of illegal foreign workers coming into Vietnam. The ministry was meanwhile working with other departments in localities to control and regulate the employment of unskilled illegal foreign workers.

However, Trung feels that despite steps taken, Vietnam will see an influx of foreign workers flooding into the country for employment in construction projects.

Reason being that Vietnam is presently growing economically, attracting both foreign investors as well as foreign workers. Another reason is that most jobs require skilled laborers, while Vietnamese lack the skills to take up such jobs.

Vietnam allows employment of skilled workers that the country cannot provide, said Trung, however, he stressed that Vietnam should train more workers to be able to replace foreign workers in future.

According to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, foreign workers in Vietnam have increased in the last 3 years. They number 74,000 today, an 18,000 increase since the beginning of this year.

* Chinese workers get deadline for work permit

The Ca Mau Province people’s committee has given Chinese workers at the Ca Mau Urea Plant construction site until August 19 to apply for work permits.
The deadline was set in a document sent yesterday by the committee to the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ca Mau Gas, Power and Fertilizer Project Management Board, and the people’s committee of U Minh District, where the plant is located.
Nguyen Tien Hai, the deputy chairman of the committee, recently told Tuoi Tre that tough action would be taken against Wu Huan Engineering Co Ltd, the Chinese construction contractor of the urea plant, for using more than 1,000 Chinese workers without work permits.
“The main contractor had failed to comply with Vietnamese work-permit regulations despite warnings by local authorities. Whenever we urged them to apply for work permits for their Chinese workers, they would send those workers back to China and get others.”
In a report to the local government, the department said the plant has 1,728 Chinese workers, of whom 607 lacked work permits. Hundreds of others are on contracts of less then three months and do not require work permits.
“We have reported the situation to the Management Board of the Ca Mau Gas, Power and Fertilizer Project but received no reply."
A few days ago provincial authorities said they might propose the Ministry of Public Security to expels those without work permits.

VNN /SGGP/Tuoi Tre