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Vietnamese officials debate illegal worker issue

Date: 5/29/2009 8:32:48 AM

A parliamentary official has blamed a ministry for the increase in illegal foreign workers that has taken jobs away from locals during the recession but the latter argued that many other agencies were also responsible.

“The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs is surely responsible for allowing a large number of illegal foreign workers to work in Vietnam under tourist visas,” said Truong Thi Mai, chairwoman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs.

Mai, who was talking with the media on the sidelines of the ongoing fifth NA session, said her committee was reviewing the laws on foreign workers and that the government needed to pay more attention to the issue.

The management of foreign workers required the coordination of several ministries and agencies, but the labor ministry had the main responsibility, she said.

Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan countered Mai’s claims by stating that many agencies other than the ministry were also responsible for the management of foreign workers.

“Most [illegal] foreign workers come to Vietnam under tourist visas, but the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs doesn’t manage visa issuance,” she said. “It’s true to say that my ministry is responsible,” she said. “But it was the immigration agencies that allowed these workers to enter the country, not the labor ministry.”

Ngan said responsibility for the illegal workers issue belongs to both central and local authorities. “Labor management agencies, local authorities, the police and project investors should manage the number of foreign workers to avoid violations.” But she added: “There are regulations on the issue but they are not comprehensive.”

By the numbers

Government statistics show that over 50,000 people from more than 40 countries and territories, mainly in Asia, now work in Vietnam. Around 70 percent of them have licenses to work here while the rest are working illegally. Most have entered the country on tourist visas. The labor ministry has said the numbers are rising.

Many representatives at the [NA] session said they were concerned that unskilled foreign workers were working in Vietnam illegally while many locals had lost their jobs since the global economic recession began.

Deputy Minister of labor Nguyen Thanh Hoa said many employers were consciously employing illegal workers. But he also said foreign workers were allowed and encouraged to work in Vietnam in specific areas.

Last month, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung instructed the labor ministry to suggest amendments to foreign worker regulations, including new fines and penalties, by the end of May.

The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee said on Tuesday (19 May 2009) it had instructed the labor department and relevant agencies to review the foreign labor situation in the city. In April this year, 14,656 foreign workers had registered to work in HCMC, Saigon Tiep Thi Newspaper reported. However, the labor department said the actual number was much higher due to the large amount of unregistered workers.

(Source:TN, Agencies)

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