Ho Chi Minh City has over 30,600 businesses that are late in paying social insurance contributions, equivalent to more than 3,260 billion VND. The Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance agency, along with related units, is implementing various solutions to urge businesses to pay social insurance contributions and is aggressively recovering outstanding social insurance debts to ensure the rights of employees.
Workers are facing difficulties.
At the end of 2023, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong (35 years old), a worker at Thai Tuan Company (District 12, Ho Chi Minh City), had to resign to find a new job because the company owed her salary and social insurance contributions for a long time. While working at Thai Tuan Company, Ms. Hong was pregnant, and she had to pay for all her health check-ups throughout her pregnancy and childbirth because the company owed social insurance contributions, and her health insurance card was blocked. By the end of December 2023, when Ms. Hong resigned, the company had finally paid her salary and maternity benefits, but still owed three months of social insurance contributions.
According to data from the Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance Agency, as of December 31, 2023, Ho Chi Minh City had 30,629 units owing social insurance contributions for one month or more, totaling over 3,260 billion VND. Of these, 10,615 units owed contributions for six months or more, totaling over 2,537 billion VND. According to the Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance Agency, Lo Quan Hiep, the fact that businesses owe social insurance contributions significantly affects the rights of employees, especially in the use of health insurance for medical examinations and treatment, and unemployment insurance benefits for those who have lost their jobs.
Over the past period, the Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance agency has implemented many solutions to recover outstanding social insurance contributions. For cases where units are late in payment or difficult to collect, the agency has identified the affected entities, summoned them for consultation, and urged them to rectify the situation. If businesses remain delinquent and deliberately refuse to pay, the agency conducts inspections, issues administrative reports, and proposes that the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee issue administrative penalties if violations are detected.
Mr. Lo Quan Hiep acknowledged that the Social Insurance agency has implemented numerous solutions and measures to recover overdue social insurance contributions to ensure the rights of social insurance participants. However, due to the prolonged impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the global economic situation, the production and business activities of many enterprises in the garment, footwear, and wood processing sectors have faced difficulties, leading to delays in social insurance payments. In addition, some enterprises capable of paying overdue social insurance contributions still deliberately refuse to do so despite reminders, inspections, and penalties from the Social Insurance agency.
Strengthen inspections of businesses that owe social insurance contributions.
Faced with the situation where many businesses still owe large amounts of social insurance contributions, Vietnam Social Insurance has sent a document to local social insurance agencies requesting a coordinated approach to increase collection, reduce overdue payments, conduct specialized inspections, and handle violations by units that violate laws on social insurance, unemployment insurance, and health insurance contributions. At the same time, it calls for close coordination with relevant sectors and levels to urge, inspect, and publicly disclose units and individuals that are late in paying social insurance, unemployment insurance, and health insurance contributions.
The Vietnam Social Security (BHXH) strictly prohibits the deliberate or irresponsible failure of businesses to delay or evade social insurance contributions for extended periods. This includes strengthening inspections of units with a large number of employees, significant amounts of overdue social insurance contributions, or a high risk of delay, which affects the rights of employees. In cases where there are signs of criminal offenses related to evading social insurance, health insurance, or unemployment insurance contributions, relevant authorities will promptly prepare dossiers and request investigations and prosecutions.
Meanwhile, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee also requested the heads of departments, agencies, organizations, the Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance agency, and the chairmen of the People's Committees of districts and Thu Duc City to develop plans to organize inspections and audits of businesses that are late in paying social insurance, unemployment insurance, and health insurance contributions. At the same time, they are to verify, consolidate dossiers, and propose prosecution of units that are late in paying social insurance, unemployment insurance, and health insurance contributions; and require businesses that are late in paying social insurance to develop commitment plans and make payments according to schedule…
In 2023, the Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance agency conducted 3,125 inspections, resulting in requests for 1,531 units to rectify outstanding social insurance debts totaling 312 billion VND; and requiring units to complete social insurance registration procedures for 842 employees, amounting to 6.1 billion VND… The Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance agency issued 238 administrative penalty decisions regarding social insurance and health insurance violations, totaling 13.1 billion VND. However, only 59 units complied with the penalty decisions, paying a total of 2.2 billion VND in fines.
According to Lo Quan Hiep, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance Agency, the agency is coordinating with relevant departments and agencies to strengthen the dissemination of policies and legal regulations on social insurance and health insurance to raise awareness among employers and employees regarding the payment and benefits of social insurance and health insurance. Simultaneously, the agency regularly monitors and reduces social insurance debt through various methods: sending notices, providing estimated amounts due to ensure timely monthly payments to the social insurance agency, making follow-up calls, scheduling on-site collection meetings, or inviting indebted entities to the agency for debt recovery. The social insurance agency also publicly lists entities that have been late in paying social insurance for three months or more.
According to Vietnam Social Security, in recent years, the social security sector has resolutely implemented comprehensive and flexible solutions for collecting social insurance contributions; conducting inspections and audits, promptly preventing and strictly handling violations of social insurance, unemployment insurance, and health insurance laws by businesses. As a result, the percentage of overdue payments compared to the total amount due has gradually decreased over the years, from 3.75% (2016) to 2.91% (2022); and the social insurance and health insurance rights of employees have been resolved in accordance with regulations.
NGO BINH
Source
Comment (0)