Hai Duong workers excited to work overtime

Tired but happy

It was after 8 pm that the lights came on in the boarding house of workers working for Tuan Ky Company Limited (Hai Duong City). Ms. Nguyen Thi Van, the owner of the boarding house in Cam Thuong Ward, said: “For nearly a month now, the workers have been working overtime so they have come home late. Many workers even work overtime until 9-10 pm. They still come home late but they are very happy because working overtime this time will give them some extra money to spend during Tet.” A few months ago, companies were facing difficulties, orders decreased so workers came home early. Now orders have stabilized, many new orders need to be delivered early so workers work overtime.

Once a company that had to let workers relax and reduce working hours due to difficult orders, for more than 2 months now, Tinh Loi Garment Company Limited in Lai Vu Industrial Park (Kim Thanh) has not only recruited more workers but also required workers to work overtime. Ms. Luong Thi Van from Muong La District (Son La) said: "After the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses were in difficulty, so I had to quit my job at my old company in Sai Dong Industrial Park (Hanoi) to go to Hai Duong to find a job. Luckily, Tinh Loi Garment Company Limited had a new recruitment round at the right time, so I was able to join. Not only do I have a stable job, but thanks to overtime, I have more money to send home to prepare for Tet."

If a few years ago, workers were afraid of working overtime, now overtime is their desire. After the Covid-19 pandemic, followed by the impact of the economic crisis, many Hai Duong businesses encountered difficulties and had to reduce or extend working hours for workers. Some businesses even had to stop recruiting workers and cut staff. Therefore, workers who work overtime at this time not only have stable jobs but also have the opportunity to increase their income.

According to a survey by the provincial Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the number of enterprises that have had to reduce or extend working hours has decreased significantly compared to the beginning of the year. Some enterprises have stabilized production, have many orders and have allowed workers to work overtime. Most of the workers in enterprises that have been allowed to work overtime are because they have signed large orders and some orders that arose at the end of the year, so they have to work overtime to ensure delivery time. This is also a positive signal for enterprises in the context of many economic difficulties.

Businesses try

According to business owners, the economy has shown signs of recovery, but relatively slowly. Many new orders have been signed, but the quantity is not large and the value is not high. Businesses are trying to find new orders to retain workers and have workers work overtime when necessary.

Mr. Vu Dinh Tuyen, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vinawood HY Joint Stock Company (Binh Giang) said that due to a number of new orders being signed, the company's workers are currently working overtime at certain times, depending on the delivery time and workload. With the goal of keeping workers waiting for recovery, despite many difficulties, the company is still trying to ensure that workers do not have to quit their jobs or reduce working hours. "The company is not picky about orders, but we still accept orders with low profits, even break-even, but can maintain jobs for workers. In addition, the company's business department, especially the sales department, has been strengthened. The company's leaders coordinate with the department to proactively find orders," said Mr. Tuyen.

Despite many difficulties and not as many orders as in previous years, workers at Shint BVT Co., Ltd. (Hai Duong City) still work overtime 1-2 hours/day. Mr. An Quoc Dinh, a representative of the company, said that although there is not as much overtime as in previous years, at this time, workers have stable jobs and overtime, increasing income is the effort of the company. This year, the company has signed orders so that workers have stable jobs until the middle of next year.

According to a preliminary survey by the Provincial Federation of Labor, by the end of October, Hai Duong still had many businesses continuing to face difficulties due to lack of orders, affecting more than 10,000 workers, of which more than 2,000 workers and laborers had their standard working hours reduced. Therefore, having stable jobs for workers and being able to work overtime is a great effort of many businesses.

The Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs has requested businesses to report on the employment situation of workers to promptly propose to the authorities to promptly resolve the issue. It is forecasted that in the last month of the year, Hai Duong businesses will still need to recruit about 17,000 more workers. Some businesses with large labor needs in the province such as Tinh Loi Garment Co., Ltd., Brother Vietnam Industry, Sumidenso Vietnam... all have stable jobs and create conditions for workers to work overtime at certain times.