(VOV) – More than 14,000 Vietnamese labourers who were preparing to work in the Republic of Korea were negatively affected by its temporary stoppage of recruiting guest workers in 2012, according to the Employment Permit System (EPS).
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The RoK’s rational for the stoppage resulted from the high level of noncompliance with its laws and regulations governing guest workers and a large number of illegal Vietnamese guest workers in the RoK.
Since the stoppage the Vietnam government has implemented a series of policies to address the problem and minimise illegal guest workers and revive the export labour market.
In acknowledgement of the Vietnamese Government’s effort, on December 31 2013, a special memorandum of understanding on sending and receiving workers under the EPS was signed between the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) and the RoK’s Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Difficult for first guest workers
According to the MoU, there are three classifications of workers who are allowed to work in the RoK, which include those who passed the Korean language examinations in December of 2011 and May and August of 2012, those in poor districts who registered to participate in the Korean language examinations in August 2012 and will work in agriculture in the RoK and former guest workers who returned home on schedule.
Because it has been a long time since the RoK stopped recruiting Vietnamese guest workers, the MoLISA plans to authorise the Overseas Labour Centre (OLC) to open courses on the Korean language to improve the language proficiency for workers who pay their tuition fees.
Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, Head of the Department for Overseas Labour Management (DOLM), says that his department will pay the tuition fees for more than 2,700 workers in poor districts who have registered to take part in the Korean language examinations and work in agriculture.
OLC Director Phan Van Minh says there have been no difficulties with the security deposit policy which requires payment of a VND100 million deposit prior to leaving for work in the RoK.
Four flights carrying Vietnamese guest workers to the RoK have been conducted to date and four more are scheduled for January, 2014.
Minh adds that these labourers had been working in the country so the deposit is not too onerous for them. But, it is quite hard for those who will go to the RoK for the first time and those from disadvantaged areas.
The MoLISA will work with the Bank for Social Policies to help workers obtain loans, Minh says.
Soon after signing the MoU, guidance on how to complete the profiles was sent to localities. Deadline for applications is January 17 and all worker profiles must be completed before the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday to give to Korean employers adequate time to process them.
New pressures
The Korean labour market’s closed door policy for Vietnamese guest workers resulted in significant pressure on labour exports. The MoU offers opportunities for thousands of Vietnamese labourers but more challenges remain.
Minh says the MoU provides for all workers who pass the Korean language examination to be permitted to work in the RoK for one year.
After eleven months from the MoU signing date the two sides will review the results of the programme and consider an option to extend the programme for an additional two years. This places yet another new pressure on Vietnam.
Minh notes that it is not easy to reduce the number of workers who ran away, especially in the context that the quota for guest workers in 2014 is only 5,600, down 50% from 2013′s 11,000.
This affects workers whose work permits are ending and want to return home and then go back to the RoK to work, he says.
In late 2013, the RoK announced its plan to recruit 53,000 workers from 15 countries in 2014, 3,000 higher than in 2013. Quotas for each country will be released in January 2014 and nearly 14,000 Vietnamese workers are eagerly awaiting the announcement.
The RoK is a high-income labour market (around US$1,200-2,000 per month) and receives more than 10,000 Vietnamese workers per year. To support the market to create jobs for thousands of workers, 20 seminars and 6 campaigns have been held to encourage Vietnamese workers to return home on schedule thus helping minimize illegal workers.
Quynh emphasises fines for workers who do not return home vary from VND3 million to VND100 million. The security deposit of VND100 million is set at a high level to ensure compliance with the return home regulations and policy.
With new regulations and policies, it is hoped that more than 10,000 workers will be sent to the RoK and create a new image that reflects more positively on Vietnam and Vietnamese workers.
Vietnam will resume sending workers to the RoK market in August 2014.
More than 71,000 workers have been sent to the RoK so far, resulting in high economic efficiency for their families and themselves.
Vietnam leads among 15 countries in the number of workers recruited by Korean employers, accounting for more than 25% of total workers in the RoK according to the ESP program.
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Đăng ký: VietNam News