Trịnh Huy Thành, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Hà Nội Business Bloc. Photo hanoimoi.com.vn

Trịnh Huy Thành, secretary of the Party Committee of the Hà Nội Business Bloc, talks to Hà Nội Mới (New Hà Nội) newspaper about how enterprises in Hà Nội are coping with the COVID-19 pandemic

Vương Đình Huệ, Politburo member and Secretary of the Hà Nội Municipal Party Committee, has met twice with the Party Committee of the Hà Nội Business Bloc to discuss measures to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. What were the outcomes of these meetings?

Huệ reiterated the Party’s resolve to stand by enterprises. He expressed his confidence that Hà Nội will achieve all its targets.

In addition, recommendations and proposals were noted and specific tasks were assigned by the Party official.

Will you please tell us how well enterprises’ petitions raised at the meeting have been settled up to now?

Party committees in the city are working with related organisations to make Huệ’s instructions a reality.

The Hà Nội People’s Committee has sent a letter to environmental enterprises asking them to submit their reports about their problems to the committee before April 25. Based on their reports, the Hà Nội People’s Committee will then organise a meeting with concerned agencies before April 30 to discuss how to address all the environmental issues in the city. If things go beyond the city’s authority, the city will then submit them to concerned ministries and even to the Government and ask for support.

Regarding proposals from the four irrigation companies where some 10,000 employees work, immediately after the meeting, Hà Nội authorities approved a project proposal on the supply of products for the general public - starting from June 1, 2020. Adding to that, we have also agreed to give a final settlement of the remaining 10 per cent of the procurement budget for the year 2019. In addition, all Hà Nội electricity companies have worked with concerned agencies/organisations to iron out land problems.

Meanwhile, textile companies in Hà Nội have also worked hard to produce more face masks and protection equipment to meet the city’s demand in the fight COVID-19.

I am confident all the petitions the enterprises raised at the meetings will be properly addressed and bring positive results.

Will you please tell us some specific activities the Hà Nội Party Committee has done to ensure all the assigned tasks are well implemented?

The Hà Nội Party Committee has worked very hard to make sure all their missions are put into life. I hope with strong support from Hà Nội employees, including Party members, we’ll win in the fight against COVID-19. I am very glad to say that to-date most of the more than 300,000 people employed by firms in the Hà Nội Business Bloc  haven't been affected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

By today, the Hà Nội Party Committee has raised more than VNĐ45 billion (US$2 million) and provided thousands of products to be used in the fight against COVID-19. We have also donated some 500 blood units to provide to the health service to treat patients.

The good news is that now 44 out of the 109 Hà Nội Business Bloc enterprises are able to carry out their production without interruption from current the COVID-19 pandemic; meanwhile 34 other enterprises have arranged working shifts for 50 per cent of their workers; 20 enterprises have asked their workers to stay at home yet still with salary payment.

However, 11 enterprises which operate in the fields of tourism and restaurants have had to put their employees on unpaid leave. We hope the pandemic will come to an end soon and in the meantime, Hà Nội authorities will try their best to help enterprises and employees overcome this critical moment. — VNS