NA questions Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs

Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen responding to the NA question session in Hanoi.

Minister Pham Thi Hai Chuyen said at the 8th session, her ministry presented three reports on the contents pertaining to the implementation of ordinances on people credited with revolutionary services and the “Heroic Mother” title, the situation of foreign laborers working in Vietnam, drug detoxification and post-detoxification management.

The Ministry also reported the implementation of NA resolution on the NA question session and a number of issues of voter concern.

Since the 7th session, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) received 149 petitions from voters and responded to them by written documents and at this session, it got 17 question votes.

Nguyen Ngoc Bao, a NA deputy from the northern province of Vinh Phuc raised a question about the salary reform in State-owned Enterprises (SoEs) and equitized SOEs based on the Labour Code.

A NA deputy raising questions to Minister Hai Chuyen

In reply to this question, Minister Chuyen said the revised Labor Code in 2012 becoming effect from May 1,2013 clarifies all salary issues.

The fact shows that there has been a roadmap for dealing with wage matters in SOEs.

The Government has adopted 17 decrees guiding the implementation of the salary reform plan. Along with this, the Ministry has issued regulations in this regard.

“All SoEs are required to comply with a new payroll as stipulated by the amended Labour Code.

To solve this problem, the Ministry is set to guide relevant units to build the new payroll. However during the guiding process, NA deputies said real wages of SoEs now account for 60-70% of their income while workers must pay other social insurances like wages and allowances and other incomes. It is not easy to identify other incomes to put into social insurance contributions of employees.” Chuyen noted.

The Minster of Finance, Home Affairs, Public Security and the Chairman of the NA Committee for Ethnic Affairs also joined the question-and-answer session to further clarify related issues.