It's a waste of skilled train drivers due to age restrictions.

The regulation stipulating that only men up to 55 years old are allowed to obtain train driver licenses, while the Labor Law stipulates retirement at 57, creates difficulties for both workers and businesses.

"I'm over 54 years old and will retire in three years. But in October 2025, I won't be able to drive trains anymore because I've reached the age limit according to my license. I don't know what the company will assign me to work for over a year." Sharing his thoughts with a reporter from Giao Thong Newspaper after disembarking from a Thong Nhat train, Mr. Nguyen Huu Cuong, a train driver at the Hanoi Locomotive Enterprise, said: "I'm over 54 years old now, and I'll retire in three years. But I won't be able to drive trains anymore because I'll be past the age limit according to my license. I don't know what job the enterprise will assign me for that year."

Train driver Nguyen Huu Cuong - Hanoi Locomotive Factory.

Mr. Cuong stated that, according to the previous Labor Law, he would reach retirement age in October 2025, which would also mark the end of his eligibility for a train driver's license under the 2017 Railway Law. This would mean he would be old enough, have sufficient years of experience, and be entitled to a full 75% pension. However, under the current Labor Law, after turning 55, he would have to work for more than another year before retiring. "For over a year, I've had to do whatever work the unit assigned me; I can't be a train driver anymore. Is the job suitable? Can I do it? Will my income decrease? By October 2025, I will have 30 years of insurance contributions, but according to the new regulations, I must have contributed for 35 years. If I quit, I will have 2% deducted each year, totaling 10%. Since I haven't reached retirement age yet, another 2% will be deducted each year I retire early, meaning a total of 4% will be deducted if I retire at age 55. In total, I will have up to 14% deducted," Mr. Cuong worried. In a similar situation to Mr. Cuong, Mr. Cao Sy Thanh stated that he terminated his employment contract in May 2024. At that time, he had passed the age of 55 by a few months, but had not yet reached the retirement age of 57 as stipulated by regulations. "This was a difficult decision, one I considered carefully. I've been involved in the railway industry for over 30 years, becoming a train driver team leader at the young age of 30, and achieving the title of 'Master of Train Safety' for the 7th time in 2023. Despite all my hard work and dedication, I can't drive trains anymore, even before retirement age." "The unit assigned them to work as assistant train drivers, but the income for this position would be lower," Mr. Thanh said. Difficulty in assigning them to other jobs. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thang, Director of the Hanoi Locomotive Enterprise, said that cases like Mr. Thanh and Mr. Cuong are not uncommon, especially since the 2019 Labor Law came into effect in 2021. Previously, the Labor Law stipulated that male workers in strenuous and hazardous occupations like train driving should retire at 55, so the 2017 Railway Law also stipulated that train driving licenses could only be issued to men up to 55 years old. However, according to current regulations, the retirement age for male workers in strenuous and hazardous occupations is 57. This means that train drivers can only retire at 57, but their licenses are only issued up to 55 years old. Therefore, the unit cannot assign these train drivers to other jobs, but it is also very difficult to assign them to other jobs because all departments already have sufficient labor. Moreover, they were trained to drive trains, and their job is also to drive. Train drivers, now transferring to other jobs, lack the necessary expertise. To mitigate their losses, the unit maintains the same salary coefficient and insurance benefits according to their driver rank, but the piece-rate salary is based on the work performed, so it's only about 60-70% of a train driver's salary. Therefore, many train drivers have terminated their employment contracts. Mr. Thang stated that, as of July 2021, more than half a year after the 2019 Labor Law came into effect, according to the enterprise's calculations, within about 6.5 years, 25 out of 187 train drivers in the unit had to stop working due to the aforementioned regulations. To date, 13 out of 25 have retired or left early, terminating their employment contracts . Among them are many skilled and experienced train drivers. A representative from the Vietnam Railway Corporation stated that a similar situation also occurs at the Vinh and Saigon locomotive factories. Training a train driver takes 6-9 years from the time a student graduates. Even with a driver's license, it's necessary to amend the law soon. For train drivers, they still have to go through a 3-year period as a train assistant driver (level 1), pass an exam to become a train assistant driver (level 2), and spend another 3 years, if they meet the requirements, before they can take the exam to become a train driver (main driver). The Vietnam Railway Corporation has proposed that the competent authorities consider amending the regulations to suit practical realities. Speaking with the Traffic Newspaper, Mr. Duong Hong Anh, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Railway Department, said that in fulfilling the task assigned by the Ministry of Transport, in coordination with relevant agencies and units, they are drafting the revised Railway Law to propose amendments to the regulations on the age for issuing train driver licenses. According to the current Railway Law, those granted train driver licenses must be between 23 and 55 years old for men and between 23 and 50 years old for women. Therefore, the Railway Department proposes amending and supplementing the age for train driving to align with the Labor Law regarding the retirement age of workers, especially those working in strenuous and hazardous occupations. harmful. Accordingly, it will be amended to: Persons granted a ship operator's license must be of working age in accordance with the provisions of labor law.

According to the Vietnam Railway Authority, the current regulations on the maximum age for obtaining a train driver's license are not in line with reality, leading to negative impacts on workers' rights. Railway businesses also face difficulties in employing and assigning jobs to train drivers. Furthermore, the regulations on the minimum age for obtaining a train driver's license are also not practical, causing difficulties for businesses in training and recruiting train drivers.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/lang-phi-lai-tau-gioi-vi-gioi-han-do-tuoi-192241224182814076.htm