Hanoi (VNA) – Labourers working in the garment-textilesector earn the lowest incomes in Vietnam, despite the industry having thesecond-largest export value, an official from the Vietnam General Confederationof Labour (VGCL) has said.

Employees in this sector have struggled to make ends meet as theirincome has failed to meet their basic needs, Le Dinh Quang, deputy head of theVGCL’s Department of Labour Relations, said at a workshop in Hanoi on April 11.

This is the reason why the highest rate of demonstrations were stagedby garment workers, he said, adding that up to 84 strikes were reported in thesector last year, making up 39.25 percent of the country’s total number.

Echoing Quang’s views, Kim Thi Thu Ha – Managing Director of theCentre for Development and Integration (CID) that co-organised the workshop togetherwith the Fair Wear Foundation – said garment labourers have led unstable livesand they have no choice but to cut their expenses as much as possible and work extremeovertime hours.

Their reliance on overtime pay, rewards, and allowances is tiedinto other issues, including low productivity, discrimination, violence,assault, workplace accidents, family and health problems, she pointed out.

Ha said the basic needs of employees should be an important andprerequisite factor in setting the annual minimum wage level.

Annabel Meurs, Vietnam country manager for Fair Wear Foundation, saidissues regarding productivity, collective bargaining, and global competitionhave resulted in garment workers’ low wage.

However, one of the most important cause lies with the irresponsibilityof employers, she stressed.

According to a survey conducted by Oxfam and the Institute ofWorkers and Trade Unions, up to 69 percent of garment workers interviewed saidthey do not have enough money to cover their daily needs, while 31 percent areunable to build any savings from their salaries.

Meanwhile, 37 percent said they are constantly having to borrowmoney from their friends and 96 percent have never or rarely visitedrestaurants. Of note, 23 percent are living in temporary houses and 44 percentare using wells and rain-water.

Statistics released by the CDI show that the basic salary of eachgarment worker stands at about 5.1 million VND (219.3 UDS), making up 64percent of their total income, while the remaining 36 percent comes fromovertime pay, allowances, and rewards, which are not fixed. –VNA