120,000 workers in Bac Giang province slated to return in November

Bac Giang province is managing to bring 120,000 workers back to work by the end of the year

As planned, the total number of employees returning to work by the end of July will reach about 30,000 people and 50,000 by the end of August before reaching 100,000 in October. From the end of November, the current plans expect over 120,000 people returning to work.

Nguyen Xuan Ngoc, deputy manager of Bac Giang Industrial Zones Authority, said the province plans to bring about 400 enterprises back to production by July 1.

Bac Giang has appraised and approved 153 enterprises with nearly 24,000 employees. There have been 86 companies with approximately 16,000 workers who have officially returned to work so far. The number of working employees accounts for nearly 11.4 per cent of the total number of about 140,000 workers in this region.

The province will work with enterprises to arrange accommodation for workers inside and outside the production area. Expenses for renting shelters are covered by enterprises. People who work on the same line and factory will stay together. If there is any suspected case of COVID-19, the authority can easily control the situation.

Localities will arrange backup scenarios for isolation areas, and enterprises will pay the costs if workers have to go into concentrated isolation.

Regarding labour recruitment, enterprises are asked to give priority to workers living in the province to create jobs for workers staying in the area. If the production recovers smoothly, and requires more workers, Bac Giang could consider recruiting labour outside the province.

"In the beginning, it may be difficult to arrange a large number of workers. But the province is planning to support enterprises as much as possible,” Ngoc explained.

Moreover, Bac Giang asked mobile checkpoints in the province not to obstruct transport. Pandemic prevention forces are asked to only require the drivers to declare their health, measure body temperatures, record travel schedules, and note down contact phone numbers.

For trucks carrying goods from Bac Giang to other provinces, enterprises will need to make COVID-19 safety records for both people and vehicles. Testing results will be returned to drivers within 24 hours.