A textile and garment plant in Đồng Nai. The province and its companies are making efforts to get back workers who went back to their hometowns in other provinces. — VNA/VNS Photo

ĐỒNG NAI — Authorities and businesses in Đồng Nai Province are making intense efforts to get back workers who returned to their hometowns when the COVID-19 pandemic was raging.

Many businesses in one of the South’s key economic hubs have huge orders to fulfil in the remaining months of 2021, and so have big demand for labour.

Almost all businesses in industrial parks have reopened, and around 86 per cent of workers there have returned to work.

Đồng Nai is offering returning workers incentives such as prioritising vaccination so that they can return to work safely and cash support to help them rent houses for their families.

The province has also instructed local authorities to help businesses arrange workers’ transportation from their hometowns back to Đồng Nai.

Đinh Sỹ Phúc, labour union chairman at shoe manufacturer Taekwang Vina Industrial JSC in the province’s Biên Hòa City, said his company is arranging to transport around 2,000 workers back.

He told Người Lao Động newspaper that it is offering incentives, including subsidising their transport and housing costs and helping them finding housing.

It is offering full salaries and gift packages for workers who are being treated for COVID or came into contact with infected people, including items such as foodstuff, health items, and milk and diapers for workers' families with infants.

Other companies are offering gifts and cash to workers to cover their transport and COVID testing costs, and financial support in case they contract the disease or were in contact with people who test positive.

Some companies such as Toyota Biên Hòa Co., Ltd., supplier of Toyota products and services in Đồng Nai and Bình Dương provinces, were able to keep their workers through the pandemic.

Nguyễn Thùy Trang, general director of the company, said the company had good short- and long-term policies for its staff such as full salary payment, financial aid for struggling workers and their families, offering accommodation for staff faced with COVID risks, and keeping in touch with employees to know about their problems.

“Our policies helped our workers feel assured. We treat them like our partners, and so we always work together to overcome difficulties in our business and society.”

The province department of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs has also been quick to offer financial support to help the company pay workers who have temporarily stopped working due to the pandemic, she said.

According to Đồng Nai Employment Service Centre, businesses in the province want to employ around 50,000 new workers by the end of the year.

Đồng Nai is the country’s third biggest COVID hotspot with over 68,000 cases as of November 4.

But more than 72 per cent of its adult population has received two shots of vaccines.

On October 15 the province was designated as being at ‘low risk’ of COVID. — VNS