Workers  at the Apparel Far Eastern Vietnam Company.

The atmosphere at a boarding-house area in Thuan An city, Binh Duong province, is electric as the Tet holiday approaches.

Most of the people in the 40 boarding-houses work for  a big company in Thuan An. Half of them had had the coronavirus. Many became unemployed and dependent on the support of the local administration and their neighbors. Now they have found jobs and once again have a stable income.

These days more than 3,000 workers at the Apparel Far Eastern Vietnam Company are working hard before they break for the 2022 Lunar New Year holiday.

During the peak of COVID-19, the company’s orders dropped by half. Once the pandemic started to ease, the volume went back to 90% of normal. This year the company hopes to increase orders 20 to 30%.

Dang Quang Duan, Chairman of the company’s Trade Union, said the prolonged pandemic stagnated production and revenue targets could not be achieved. Many workers contracted COVID-19, interrupting their work. 

A representative of the Binh Duong provincial Trade Union delivers support packages to the relatives of workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite these difficulties, the company has maintained the same Tet benefits for employees as in previous years, said Duan, adding that it is also offering to pay for the transportation of a workers' relatives if the worker agrees to return to work on time and bring some family members with them.

“This year's welfare is 30 to 40% higher than last year's because lots of workers have decided to stay for the Tet holidays. Although we haven’t reduce the amount of support, it will take a different form. Due to the pandemic, cash and goods will replace entertainment activities," said Duan.

More than 500,000 workers are expected to stay in Binh Duong to celebrate Tet, many more than in previous years. 24,000 of them, who are in extremely difficult circumstances, will be given 22 USD each, according to Nguyen Hoang Bao Tran, Vice Chairwoman of the provincial Labor Confederation.

The Confederation will donate 8.4 million USD to 640,000 workers, about 14 USD each.

Because so many workers are staying in Binh Duong for Tet, the provincial trade union will use the 8.8 million USD usually spent on transporting workers to their hometown and back to help disadvantaged workers.

160 COVID-19-orphaned children will each receive a savings book worth 440 USD. Workers living in boarding houses will be given 220 USD for Tet shopping.

Ms. Tran said, “We’ve invited people who have lost loved ones to the pandemic to join our Tet celebration, and we plan to spend some money to help them redecorate their house.”

Binh Duong Trade Unions at all levels have organized programs to ensure that union members and other workers enjoy a warm and happy Tet, taking to heart the motto “Everyone deserves a sufficient Tet holiday”.