1,000 workers back to work at Bluecom Vina

April 13, 2016 | 11:00

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Approximately 1,000 workers of Korean electronics company Bluecom Vina Company Limited (Bluecom Vina) in the northern port city of Haiphong restarted working when the company’s management board agreed to let its workers to have more days off each month, according to chairwoman of the Trade Union under the Haiphong Economic Zones Management Authority Pham Thi Hang.

>> 1,000 workers electronics company strike in Haiphong

Specifically, workers will have one Saturday off each month between April and July and two Saturdays off each month from August onwards.

On April 11, approximately 1,000 workers started a strike when their Korean directors ignored their requests for fewer working hours and higher wages.

According to the workers, the company’s management board had broken a promise to establish a union to protect employees’ rights.

Besides, workers do not have official working hours. They have to start working at 8am until the managers allow them to leave, which is usually at 9 or 10pm, even on Saturdays. However, the workers are only paid a basic wage of VND3.74 million ($165) a month, with the payment of VND100,000 ($4.5) for extra hours accumulated during the month.

On the same day, chairwoman of the Trade Union under the Haiphong Economic Zones Management Authority Pham Thi Hang attended a working session with the company’s representatives to protect their rights.

After the working session, the company promised to establish a trade union in the company and adjust the working hours to comply with Vietnamese labour regulations. Furthermore, the company will keep the payment of VND100,000 ($4.50) for all the extra hours accumulated throughout the month, but agreed to increase the monthly allowance. However, Bluecom Vina refused to let workers to have two Saturdays off each month, leaving them dissatisfied.

By By Kim Oanh

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