Debate on letting the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor be the investor of social housing

Still wondering, worried

Participating in giving opinions on the draft Law on Housing (amended), many delegates expressed concerns and worries about the policy of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor being the investor of social housing.

Delegate Pham Van Hoa (Dong Thap delegation) suggested that the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor should not be assigned to participate in investing in building social housing for union members to rent. According to him, the General Confederation is a political organization and has no business function.

"The General Confederation has many different ways to take care of workers' lives. Investing in building social housing for union members should be assigned to other functional units," Mr. Hoa said.

Delegate Pham Van Hoa (Dong Thap delegation).

Sharing the same view, delegate Huynh Thi Phuc (Ba Ria - Vung Tau province) also expressed her disagreement. According to her, it is necessary to first separate the content of social housing construction and the content of building accommodation for workers into two separate articles. Because these two contents are completely different, they should not be combined as they are now.

The delegate said that it is difficult to implement the regulation that the General Confederation is the investor of social housing and workers' accommodation. According to her, although the General Confederation is the agency that protects the rights of workers, it is not necessary to stipulate that the General Confederation is the investor.

“The basic function of a trade union is not to do business. The trade union budget is an independent institution, how is it collected and spent, what is the impact when building social housing?... If the draft law has such a provision, it will not be appropriate, and may cause concerns as the delegates have raised about efficiency as well as the issue of cadres,” said Ms. Phuc.

Thorough impact assessment

Also concerned about the assignment of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor to participate in investing in building social housing for union members to rent, delegate Tran Van Khai (Ha Nam delegation) said that the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor needs to have a report to analyze and clarify this content.

Delegate Tran Van Khai said that the most pressing issue for workers is housing. Many workers in industrial parks are facing the five no's: no housing, no kindergarten, no education or healthcare facilities, and no living conditions.

And the implementation of housing for workers of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor has been implemented since 2017. The Prime Minister has approved the project to build trade union institutions in industrial parks and export processing zones according to the project of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor. However, the implementation process is still facing many legal issues.

Delegate Tran Van Khai (Ha Nam delegation).

Therefore, delegate Tran Van Khai proposed to assign the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor to participate in investing in building social housing for union members who are eligible for social housing policies and work in rented industrial parks.

Delegate Nguyen Thi Viet Nga (Hai Duong delegation) also agreed that the authorization for the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor to be the investor of social housing and workers' accommodation is a humane regulation, contributing to solving the current situation of ineffective social housing development, failing to attract investment sources, and failing to meet people's needs in the current period.

According to Ms. Nga, the beneficiaries of policies on social housing and workers' accommodation are low-income workers, so with the function of caring for and protecting the legitimate rights of workers, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor being the investor in social housing and workers' accommodation is relatively appropriate.

Delegate Nguyen Thi Viet Nga (Hai Duong delegation).

"Unlike normal investors, if the General Confederation of Labor is given power, the beneficiaries of the policy will be the ones targeted throughout the tasks and activities of this organization," said Ms. Nga.

On the other hand, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor has an advantage in investigating, surveying, and understanding the needs for social housing and accommodation for workers, thanks to the system of trade unions from the central to the grassroots level. "This helps in investing in the right focus, key points, and improving investment efficiency," Ms. Nga added.

The delegate said that this is a large and completely new content, so it needs to be carefully assessed for impact, especially the feasibility of implementation resources to avoid waste, and suggested researching and considering piloting for a period of time to assess effectiveness before clearly regulating in law .

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/tranh-luan-viec-de-tong-lien-doan-lao-dong-lam-chu-dau-tu-nha-o-xa-hoi-a623989.html