Workers at a factory in Binh Duong province (Photo: VNA) A worker’s monthly income usually consists of the base salary, overtime pay andallowances.
Do Thi Thu Hoai, an employee in Phu Tho province, said: “I have been working atthis company here for five years, but the allowances have remained the same forme.
“I see that several other companies provide an amount for accommodationsupport, but here we don’t receive any.”
Each month, she receives her base salary of 4.4 million VND (188 USD),alongside the allowances of 300,000 VND for diligent attendance, 150,000 VND forfuel charges, and 30,000 VND for female employees.
There was an allowance for employees with children of 100,000 VND (4.30 USD)per month, but this no longer exists, she said.
She added that not only have these amounts remained unchanged throughout theyears, but they also follow a very strict policy.
The allowance for diligence, for example, can only be given if the employee hasperfect attendance in that month. If they come in late for 15 minutes or needto go outside for one hour, that would be a 100,000 VND deduction each time.
If they do not come to work for two days in a month, this attendance allowancewill be subtracted completely.
Hoai said: “If my children are sick and I have to take two or three days off totake care of them, but without a leave of absence, then all of the allowancesfor attendance and fuel are gone.”
Hoai’s income in a month totals 6.3 million VND (270 USD), including overtimepay. Her husband works as a driver and receives around 8 million VND (342 USD)per month.
The couple have had to tighten their belts to make ends meet and put their twochildren through school.
Nguyen Thi Thu, a factory worker in Bac Ninh province, is in the samesituation.
She receives around 1 million VND (43 USD) in allowances each month, in additionto her base salary of 4.2 million VND (180 USD).
Thu said: “Each month we receive 500,000 VND for full attendance and 200,000 VNDfor fuel charges.
“If an employee works here for long enough, they can receive an accommodationallowance –100,000 VNĐ per month at the six-month mark, and 300,000 VNĐ at theone-year mark.”
For Thu, two days off without a leave of absence also means no additional payfor diligent attendance and fuel charges.
“In total, my highest monthly income is 8 million VND.”
“There are also months when we don’t have enough work to do and have to work ona shift rotation basis, then my monthly income drops to 4.6 million VND,” saidThu.
Her husband, working at the same company, faces a similar situation.
According to Pham Thi Thu Lan, deputy director of the Institute for Workers andTrade Unions (IWTU), a recent survey shows that the average monthly base salaryis 4.5 million VND, with professional allowances ranging from 250,000 VND to 2million VND, along with 480,000 VND for full attendance.
Speaking to Lao dong (Labour)newspaper, Lan said: “With the aforementioned range, the amount paid by theemployer could vary.
“Workers can take a few days off and lose the entirety of their attendance paythat month.”
Some companies even take into account overtime work and productivity in theseallowances. However, this is an employer’s right and there is no specificregulation regarding the matter.
Lan said: “The only way to go is negotiation. The labour unions need tostrengthen their role in collective bargaining to include more favourableterms, including allowance amounts, for employees in the collective labouragreement.”
She added that if the terms on allowances are in the collective labouragreement then the company is obliged to follow them. However, if theregulations on these additional pays are only in the company’s managementrulebook then the execution decision lies with the employer./.
VNA
