VINASME- Important National Wage Council Member

DNHN - The National Wage Council held a programme on August 8, 2023, in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province, to commemorate its 10th anniversary.

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Le Van Thanh - Chairman of the National Wage Council; Dr To Hoai Nam - Member of the National Wage Council, Standing Vice Chairman and General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (VINASME) and representative of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour; Vietnam Federation of Trade and Industry; Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association and Vietnam Telecommunications Association were all present at th

Looking back on its 10-year development journey, the National Wage Council's members have always advocated for a responsible, active role for the common good, despite its short existence, absence of a precedent, and part-time operation. Throughout the participation process, VINASME has stood side-by-side with Council members, proposed numerous options, and consulted with the Government and the Prime Minister to ensure the rights of employees. and employers. Ten recommendations to the government to adjust the minimum wage to actual conditions are a notable accomplishment in ten years of operation. In which there are valid VINASME suggestions. By Resolution No. 27-NQ/TW of the Central Committee, the minimum wage has for the first time met the objective of "ensuring the minimum standard of living of workers and their families by 2020."

To carry out the tasks assigned by the Government and the Prime Minister, the leaders of VINASME and the staff of the technical department tasked with assisting the leaders in carrying out their responsibilities in the Council have conducted extensive research. Leaders of VINASME always incorporate feedback from business owners and managers into business trips by conducting research, surveys, and seminars, thereby capturing the essence of the business. Business owners' sentiments revolve around wages for employees, creating a symbiotic relationship between salary increases for employees and profits for the employer.

Dr To Hoai Nam, who was present at the meeting, stated, "Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for 97% of the total number of businesses in the country and generate 1 million new jobs annually. I hope to be able to pay more attention to this region because it is where the mechanism for maintaining tranquillity is generated. This is because, firstly, a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) may have only 20 to 30 employees, but the employer frequently performs the work of the employees. This creates a close relationship and mutual understanding between employees and employers. The second point is that this industry has never paid the minimum wage; instead, most pay between 7 and 15% more. In general, 2023 is 13% higher and 2022 is 8% higher than 2018. Therefore, despite being an SME, it solves numerous issues."

Dr To Hoai Nam also expressed a desire to find a mechanism to increase SME sector compliance with the law and decrease the number of informal workers as soon as possible.

"The characteristics of a large business and a small business are vastly different, and sometimes the benefits of small businesses pose difficulties for large enterprises and vice versa. In SMEs, employees only know the business owner because the owner is primarily responsible for the employee's well-being. Dr To Hoi Nam stated that he hoped this business sector would receive more attention.

In the context of businesses facing numerous challenges before an economic recession, the supply chain is sometimes disrupted and many businesses are forced to reduce labour and working hours. VINASME also stood alongside member enterprises to discuss internal issues of industrial relations in enterprises, in which small and medium-sized businesses, primarily micro-enterprises, have unique characteristics. There are detailed consultations regarding the increase in the minimum wage scale and the particularities of wages in the microbusiness sector. The Council highly valued and accepted all of VINASME's recommendations at the meeting; after numerous adjustments, the monthly minimum wage has increased by 99.1% compared to the previous year.

The minimum wage continues to play an important role in the national wage policy and is the driving force behind wage growth and social security, both now and in the future. The sector of small and medium-sized businesses contributes significantly to job creation. To provide the National Wage Council with multidimensional data to propose a minimum wage that is reasonable for each year, period, evidence-based, and based on an effective mechanism for tripartite dialogue and negotiation, as well as trust. VINASME has established a member support committee for the development of affiliated labour relations, enabling in-depth research on labour relations in the market economy and promoting VINASME's role in establishing stable, harmonious, and progressive labour relations.

PV