Creating a legal framework for labour export

For the first time, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has sent its proposal to the National Assembly to promulgate the Law on sending Vietnamese workers abroad.

Head of the Overseas Labour Management Department Nguyen Thanh Hoa said,” The promulgation of the law is a practical activity, accumulating our management experience during the past year, concretizing all existing documents and creating a legal framework for labour export.”

The Ministry has issued a number of circulars including Circular No141 which requires  close coordination among four agencies: the Court, the People’s Procuracy, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. In addition, the Overseas Labour Management Department will sign a document with the investigation agency to prosecute Vietnamese for legally settling aboard, especially in the countries having a large number of law breakers such as Taiwan, Japan and  the Republic of Korea.

Changing way of accessing the market

In 2006, the Overseas Labour Management Department and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs paid due attention to exploring traditional labour markets, sending 37,000 workers to Malaysia, 20,000 to Taiwan and 5,000 to Japan.

Nguyen Thanh Hoa said on the bright side of the market, Vietnam devised good management measures which were highly valued by partners. As a result, contract breakers in Japan dropped from about 350-400 in the past few years to only 60 labourers in 2006.

Vietnam is expected to send more than 10,000 labourers abroad by 2010. The Middle East market has been exploited since late 2005. Vietnam has sent labourers to Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates and will explore the Saudi Arabian market. Labour exporters have planned to approach markets which require high technical qualifications and fluent foreign languages but pay high salaries such as the US, Canada and Australia. The two MoLISA’s delegates recently went to the US to study the possibility of sending Vietnamese guest workers there. The ministry realized that the US market is potential but it is difficult to access the market which is highly demanding. The Government and the ministry have agreed to let two businesses export labourers to the market.

Good management

The legal documents which were issued in 2006 helped concerned agencies better carry out their management task and reduce the number of contract breakers in foreign markets. Regarding Japanese and Taiwanese markets, the ministry has recently issued regulations on broker cost. In the past, the authorities could not control businesses’ activities but as from now, if businesses violate regulations, they will be fined.

80,000 labourers expect to work abroad in 2007

Nguyen Thanh Hoa, head of the MARD’s Overseas Labour Management Department, said the department was assigned by the National Assembly to send 80,000 labourers abroad in 2007. Based on the results of 2006, the department will try its best to surpass the target.

To fulfil the target, the department will complete its legal documentation, including two decrees, a Prime Minister’s decision on funding overseas labourers, and nine instructives. The department will further explore markets in close cooperation with the foreign affairs and public security sectors. It will also inspect and manage the operations of labour-export companies.

The department will focus on human resource training to make a breakthrough in labour export activities this year. Reality shows that trained labourers get more pay than untrained labourers. It is hoped that labourers’ working skills and attitude will be enhanced through training courses.

At the same time, the department will cooperate with communication agencies to provide accurate information for people. It will also launch a website to upload information on requirement for labour export. In addition, after the Law on sending workers abroad and other by-laws come into effect, the department will publish documents and distribute them to districts and communes for local authorities to study and execute well.