HA NOI — The Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, has asked localities to regularly check on documentation for foreign workers who are employed in enterprises, organisations or under contract.

The move aims to bring in stricter management policies for foreign labourers in co-operation with the ministries of Labour, Invalids and Social Affair, Public Security and municipal and provincial People’s Committees.

The initiative will focus on placing checks on the recruitment and work permits application process for foreign workers.

Under the new regulations, foreign employees who want to work in Viet Nam will need a working licence and professional competence certificate.

Foreign employees will have to submit a full set of application forms to their employers, including a resume, health certificate and a copy of their professional competence certificate.

Employers and employees will have to sign working contracts under Vietnamese laws. If foreign employees work for more than 10 consecutive days or a total of 30 days a year, their employers, the Vietnamese partner or representative of the foreign non-governmental organisation, will have to supply documents to the local department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

Punishment

Minister Ngan said if enterprises violated the regulations, they would receive administrative punishment and the foreign labourers would be deported under Vietnamese law.

Municipal and provincial People’s Committees must provide a report to the management of foreign labourers by the 25th day of the last month of every quarter to the ministry’s Employment Department. This report must include the number of enterprises using foreign workers, the number of workers, as well as methods and initiatives used for the management of the employees.

The minister also asked the committees to disseminate information to foreign workers about the new regulations.

In Viet Nam, there are nearly 100,000 foreign employees. However, more than half have yet to receive a labour certificate.

Nguyen Ngoc Anh, director of the A&T Design Company, said that after studying design in South Korea he invited some excellent Korean graduates to work in his company, but he had to go through the proper channels in order to get visas for them.

"The visas help ensure that they are able to work for the company for a long time," said Anh. —VNS