Libya troubles burn labour firms

illustration photo

>>More Vietnamese workers leave Libya

Nguyen Van Ha, a central Ha Tinh province man among workers recently returned from Libya, said he was anxious to know how he would pay off debts as he had

returned home empty handed due to losing everything amid the troubles.

“I am safe and that was the best thing. But I am quite nervous as I don’t know how to pay off debts, except looking for support from the government and the labour export firms,” he said.

According to regulations on the use of overseas employment support funds, repatriated workers can get VND5 million ($241.5) each from the fund if they must return home due to unexpected reasons.

Besides, they are also eligible to get free-interest loans from the Bank for Social Policies or the national employment fund within one year to embrace vocational training.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) said it would work on concrete support measures after it repatriated workers and instructed relevant labour export firms to property compensate their workers.

Labour repatriation also proves a headache for labour export firms.

As per existing regulations these firms must compensate repatriate workers half the brokerage fees if the latter work less than half the time regulated in the labour contracts.

In respect to service fees, if export labourers fully pay the service fees (one month salary for each year working abroad) before going to work abroad, these firms must pay them a certain amount for the remaining time in the labour contracts.

The problems lies in the fact that Vietnamese labour export firms paid brokerage fees to foreign brokers. Then, they are held responsible for taking back the money from foreign brokers on behalf of their labourers and that is almost impossible in current circumstances.

Besides, representatives from some labour export firms said export labourers owed them several billion Vietnam dong in emigration fees. Taking back the money from capital strapped repatriate workers will not be simple.  

Around 900 labourers had returned home from Libya by February 28, said the MoLISA’s Overseas Labour Management Department deputy head Le Van Thanh.

Around 7,500 out of a total 10,400 Vietnamese labourers working in Libya will probably return home or evacuate to safer areas in Libya’s neighboring countries as of March 2, 2011, according to department figures.