Ministry of Home Affairs proposes working hours during the day, overtime pay on holidays and Tet

At least 1 day off per week

The Ministry of Justice is reviewing the draft Decree detailing a number of articles of the Law on Employment.

*Working hours of employees do not exceed 8 hours/day (Illustration photo - Tuan Anh)*

Regarding labor wages, according to the draft, for employees working 8 hours a day and 26 days a month, wages are calculated monthly and must not be lower than the regional minimum wage.

For employees who work less than 8 hours a day or 26 days a month, wages are calculated by hour and must not be lower than the regional minimum wage.

In case an employee works overtime, he/she shall be paid wages at 3 levels: On weekdays, at least 150%; on weekly days off, at least 200%; and on holidays and Tet, at least 300%.

Regarding working hours and rest, the draft clearly states that the working hours of employees shall not exceed 8 hours/day. Each week, employees are entitled to at least 1 day off (24 consecutive hours). In special cases where the work cycle does not allow weekly rest, the average rest period is at least 4 days per month.

“In case of overtime, the total number of working hours and overtime hours must not exceed 12 hours in one day,” the draft decree states.

Regarding working hours, during discussions at the National Assembly , some delegates proposed reducing working hours in the private sector from 48 to 44 hours/week, equivalent to reducing from 6 working days to 5.5 days.

According to statistics from the International Labor Organization (ILO), most countries have applied the 40-hour regime, even less than 40 hours per week...

“There is no reason why workers have to work long hours when the country is developing. Workers need to be cared for, shared and benefit better from the country’s development achievements,” delegate Pham Trong Nghia once shared.

However, there is also a view that reducing working hours is always the goal, but in the current context, overtime work is necessary for workers to have more income to cover their living expenses.

Workers can borrow up to 300 million VND

The draft decree stipulates a maximum loan amount of VND10 billion for small and medium enterprises and no more than VND300 million per employee to support job creation, maintenance and expansion. For employees, the maximum loan amount is VND300 million. The loan term is set at a maximum of 120 months.

Currently, the maximum loan amount for production and business establishments is only 2 billion VND/project and not more than 100 million VND for 1 employee. Thus, the proposed loan amount this time has been significantly increased to meet the demand for capital loans for production and business.

Meanwhile, the proposed loan interest rate is 125% of the loan interest rate for poor households in each period as prescribed by the Prime Minister. "This adjustment is to be consistent with the strategic orientation of the development of the Social Policy Bank until 2030," the Ministry of Home Affairs explained.

In the case of working abroad, the maximum loan amount is 100% of the total cost that the employee must pay before going to work under the contract. The maximum loan term is equal to the term of the contract to send the employee to work abroad, excluding the contract extension period.

Another notable point is that the draft also proposes regulations on training support policies for workers in rural areas, young people completing military service, and young people volunteering to participate in socio-economic development projects.

Accordingly, this group will be supported with elementary level training, training under 3 months. For workers in rural areas, the maximum support level is 4 million VND/person/course. For young workers, the total support level does not exceed 12 months of basic salary.

In addition to tuition fees, the above subjects are also supported with food and living expenses of 50,000 VND/day; travel expenses of 200,000 VND/person/course for those residing 15 km or more from the training location...

According to Tien Phong Newspaper

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/xa-hoi/202509/bo-noi-vu-de-xuat-gio-lam-viec-trong-ngay-tien-lam-them-dip-le-tet-486024c/