In the midst of production difficulties, businesses are still facing a shortage of labor, so there are many forms of retaining employees to restore production after the pandemic.

Voluntary group of the Sao Ta Food Joint Stock Company prepares extra meals
for workers in the "3 on-site" model. Photo: DN

Employee retention policy

For nearly a month, the voluntary group of Sao Ta Food Joint Stock Company has been diligently linking with gardeners to buy fresh fruit, and dairy companies to buy milk to prepare meals for workers who are in the "3 on-site" model.

According to the leader of Sao Ta Food Joint Stock Company, the outer line established a voluntary group to contribute to helping other workers.

In the first session, there was a contribution of more than VND100 million from members. Supplies will be changed daily, and this will last until the end of the "3 on-site" program.

“This act is like adding a bit of energy to warm each other's hearts, although it is not a big thing, it is a gesture of friendship between colleagues who are in the same situation. This action further clarifies the Sao Ta culture which is mutual love and sharing,” a member of the group said.

According to Truong Dinh Hoe, General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), currently only about 30% of seafood enterprises in the southern provinces and cities can ensure the "3 on-site” model and the number of workers that can be mobilized is only 30-50%. The average production capacity has decreased to only 40-50% compared to before.

Enterprises said that the implementation of the "3 on-site" model is only a temporary measure and can only last from 2-3 weeks for medium enterprises, larger enterprises also maintain up to 4-5 weeks because businesses have to bear too many expenses to ensure the production chain and implement anti-pandemic regulations at the factory.

Specifically, the cost of weekly testing, the cost of equipping workers with conditions for eating-sleeping-working at the factory increased by 50-100%, the cost of paying extra wages for workers to stay at the factory increased by 30-100%.

This makes the total cost of enterprises increase many times compared to before while the total output decreases by more than 50%.

Van Duc Export Food Processing Joint Stock Company in Tien Giang said that the enterprise has many preferential policies to call on workers to maintain production under the "3 on-site" model, at the same time, organize the distribution of food, accommodation and production according to each production line to avoid cross-contamination when a case of F0 is detected in the factory.

Despite efforts to support workers to maintain "3 on-site" production, from August 5, the company still had to stop production. The workers have been tested for Covid-19 before being sent to the locality, but the most worrying thing for the enterprise is whether the workers will return to work after the pandemic, because these are the skilled workers.

Recommend many solutions

From the above facts, it is necessary for export manufacturing industries to have a more flexible anti-pandemic plan that closely follows the reality with pandemic control situation in the localities after being vaccinated so that enterprises can actively plan production; enterprises are temporarily suspending production to prepare to meet anti-pandemic conditions to return to production to meet increased export orders at the end of the year.

Businesses proposed Ho Chi Minh City to propose the Ministry of Health to complete a set of rules (like the US CDC and other countries) and organize training for localities and businesses to implement "On-site health care".

Implementing the policy of coordination and sharing between businesses and CDC, businesses will actively use health teams and health stations of the factory, the company organizes tests for employees twice a month, samples will be sent to the health agency and the results of self-testing of enterprises will be applied in circulation and transactions. CDC will also organize testing for enterprises once a month, thus ensuring each worker is tested three times/month.

Along with that, in order to reduce financial pressure on businesses during the pandemic and create favorable conditions for businesses to restore production and export activities, the Ho Chi Minh City Food Business Association said Ho Chi Minh City should propose the Ministry of Finance to consider increasing the grace period, delaying tax and fee payment to avoid enterprises falling into bad debt; consider maintaining previously applied solutions such as reducing registration fees in order to support the recovery of the domestic market.

At the same time, it is suggested that Ho Chi Minh City needs to have a mechanism to influence domestic retail distribution units to quickly support businesses producing essential items to shorten the time of payment for goods than the pre-specified time (from 15 to 30 days shortened to about 3 days), so that enterprises can have working capital to meet production.

On August 7, 2021, in a dispatch sent to the Ministry of Health proposing solutions to support enterprises to maintain production and overcome difficulties in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Industry and Trade proposed and supplemented regulations on the form of production organization in conditions of both isolation and production and business at enterprises and production and business establishments.

In addition to the regulations on the model of "3 on-site", "1 road, 2 destinations" supplement other forms for selected enterprises, especially specific regulations for the case of employees. They are able to return home, have commitments from enterprises to the locality, employees to enterprises, and move by personal means between the family's residence and production and business establishments.

For solutions related to declaration, testing and vaccination, the Ministry of Industry and Trade proposes to amend and supplement Decision No. 3355/QD-BYT in the direction of giving priority to employees working at DN (at point n, item 3, part III) becomes a priority subject for vaccination according to point g, item 3, part III of the plan to implement the Covid-19 vaccination campaign in 2021-2022.

In the group of businesses, priority is given to vaccination for businesses in industries that export and produce essential products, including electronics, textiles, footwear, automobiles, steel, agricultural product processing, and food.