Representatives of Vietnam’s labour sector met with Russian partners last week to kick off the first round of negotiations for sending Vietnamese labourers to work in Russia. 

Talking to reporters regarding an agreement on Russia’s organised recruitment of Vietnamese workers, Mikhai Ivankov, an official of Krasnoyarsk employment and labour agency, unveiled that Russia has set a quota of accepting 15,000 Vietnamese workers in the country this year.

Krasnoyarsk region is the main partner in a pilot programme on receiving Vietnamese labourers in Russia.

Ivankov said the region needs mainly unskilled workers for light industry, agriculture, and construction, adding that approximately 40 percent of the Vietnamese workers will work in the region’s central areas. 

He expressed hope for early discussions between the two sides on specific issues related to the subject.

According to a representative from the Department of Overseas Labour Management under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs, Vietnam has not sent workers to Russia in recent years. Thus, the reopening of negotiations on the matter and the pilot programme will create new opportunities for Vietnamese to work legally in the nation.

A representative from the Russia’s Federal Service for Labour and Employment said Vietnam and Russia are yet to ink a labour exchange agreement, but he expected the agreement will include the Russian side providing information on employers, job requirements and working conditions along with local labour law ; and monitoring the observance of the law. Vietnam, meanwhile, is expected to recruit and train eligible candidates, reach agreement on content of labour contracts with workers, and organise trips to Russia for selected workers.   

Ivankov Mikhail Yurievich, deputy head of the federal service, stated that foreign workers working legally in Russia will have their legal rights and interests ensured – including those on labour contracts, wages, bonuses, and hazard pay.

He noted that Russia is inspecting businesses to detect violations of workers’ rights and interests. As such, the authority is examining the electronic labour contracts of about 4,000 workers at the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation (Sberbank). This type of contract is expected to be applied in more Russian firms as a tool to protect labourers, including those from other countries.

According to the department, this year, Russia is mostly looking for Vietnamese labourers to work in sewing and farming. –VNA