Hanoi (VNA) – Minister of Labour, Invalids andSocial Affairs (MOLISA) Dao Ngoc Dung made clear a number of issues raised byNational Assembly (NA) deputies on measures to ensure rights and interests ofVietnamese workers abroad and enhance labour quality during the Q&A sessionas part of the NA’s fifth meeting on June 5.

Replying to representative of the central city of DaNang Nguyen Thi Kim Thuy on measures to improve the quality of guest workersand tackle current problems in the field, Minister Dung said that Vietnam aimsto send about 1 million people to work and study abroad each year.

So far, about 500,000 Vietnamese labourers are workingin other countries. In 2017, 134,000 workers were sent to work abroad,equivalent to 128 percent of the set target, he noted.

Along with the resumption of cooperation with theRepublic of Korea after a four-year hiatus, Vietnam has for the first time signeda national-level labour deal with Japan, giving a boost to labour export. Eachyear, the guest workers sent home about 3 billion USD.

However, Dung said that in promising markets with highincome, especially the RoK, many workers refused to return home, with the highestannual ratio recorded reaching 55 percent, which was then reduced to 33percent. For that reason, the RoK side stopped recruiting Vietnamese labourersfor four years.

The RoK then requested not recruiting people from 12 provinces and 58 districtswith over 30 percent of labourers staying in the RoK illegally after finishingtheir contracts. In 2018, the number of such districts dropped to 49, he said.

Regarding the Saudi Arabian market, Minister Dungnoted that the country is hosting about 9,000 labourers, most of whom work ashousemaids. Although the market requires simple skills from labourers, this isa risky market with many latent problems, he said.

Deputy Duong Tuan Quan from southern Ba Ria-Vung Tauprovince showed his worry about the illegal formation of many labour exportagents and companies to cheat people.

Inspections in 2016 and 2017 showed that among 60examined companies, 42 operated illegally.

Minister Dung said that together with givingfavourable conditions for labourers to work abroad, the ministry has backedlabour export companies in expanding their market. Recently, such businesseshave boomed in number.

He admitted the problem mentioned by deputy Quan,adding that the ministry has applied many measures to deal with it.

The Government and the Prime Minister issued two instructiondocuments, assigning specific ministries and sectors to handle shortcomings facingVietnamese guest workers.

The MOLISA has also held a dialogue with 282 labour exportbusinesses to discuss ways to remove obstacles encountering them, while askingthe firms to publicize information of the demand, incomes, fees and jobdescription in each market, he said.

The minister added that the MOLISA has made clear thefees for each market. The fee is free in the RoK and Japanese markers, he said.

Dung clarified that the ministry has inspected 51labour export firms and discovered 338 violations, collecting a fine of 3billion VND in 2017, revoking the business licences of 5 enterprises andsuspending the operation of 25 firms.

In the coming time, the ministry will continue workingclosely with localities to keep a close watch on operations of the businesses,while making fee more transparent.

It will withdraw the licence of any businesses whichviolate law, especially failing to ensure rights of their labourers abroad, hestressed.-VNA