Lê Đình Quảng, deputy head of Labour Relations Department under the Việt Nam General Confederation of Labour . Photo nhandan.com.vn

Lê Đình Quảng, deputy head of the Labour Relations Department under the Việt Nam General Confederation of Labour talks to Nhân dân (The People) newspaper about the benefit of using the VssID app which was put into operation on November 16.

As the representative organisation protecting the interests of employees, how do you evaluate the features and utilities of the VssID app? Will employees face any difficulties when registering to use this application?

The application of information services on the mobile platform VssID of Vietnam Social Security will help facilitate information access by social insurance holders and health insurers. VssID will help employees grasp the implementation of policies on social, health and unemployment insurance, from which they can supervise and protect their rights as well as better implement the regimes and policies on social, health and unemployment insurance.

This is a new service, therefore, we found that there are some difficulties particularly affecting the implementation process:

First, is the equipment problem. In order to deploy VssID, it is imperative that employees have a smartphone, and clearly not all the current employees own one, especially those of some certain age groups.

Second, there are difficulties in registration procedures.

Although attempts have been made to simplify these regulations, because of the principle of confidentiality, there must be a procedure after completing the declaration where the employee must print the registration and take it to the social insurance agency for registration. Such a process can be difficult for workers in factories.

I think it is necessary to continue to adjust the application during the implementation process to make it more favourable for users.

Using the VssID app, employees can also supervise the employer's obligation to pay social, health insurance and unemployment insurance.

What should employees pay attention to to protect their rights when installing VssID application? Does expanding the use of VssID contribute to publicity and transparency of information access and prevent enterprises from delaying or evading insurance payments for employees?

Currently, there are many cases of employers and enterprises who fail to pay social, health insurance and unemployment insurance. But employees often do not know about this. Only when the problems arise do they know.

Although the Law on Social Insurance clearly stipulates, according to Article 18, that employers shall provide information about the payment of social insurance every six months, and be certified annually by the social insurance agency about the payment of social insurance. But in reality, the employee and the employer do not care about the issue, resulting in the fact that the employees' interests might be affected.

With VssID, employees can directly manage their social insurance information, knowing whether the employers have fully complied with the policy of social insurance and health insurance or not.

If enterprises are found to deliberately evade or owe payment of social insurance, labourers can report the incident to the trade union or competent agencies for timely measures. Then, the trade union must step in and refer it to the competent authority who will handle it.

I think that VssID is an active tool in detecting businesses that avoid paying social insurance premiums and delaying the payment, thereby ensuring the interests of employees.

What should be done to turn VssID app into an effective tool for employees?

Services provided by VssID are very practical and crucial for employees. In order to make best use of this service in the future, we have to address several issues. First of all, we will continue to improve the registration procedures to make it most convenient for employees to access.

It is necessary to enhance the utilities of VssID towards expanding its services. VssID will not only replace health insurance cards and social insurance books but also integrate with other public services to make it more convenient for labourers.

I think that the more public services are integrated, the more favourable it is for employees which will motivate them to become actively involved in social insurance and health insurance policies and employee-related issues.

Dissemination should be strengthened so that employees have sufficient knowledge about VssID and its procedures for their active participation.

It is a must to renovate policies related to social security, especially those involved in social, health and employment insurance and make policies remain attractive, diversified and ensure long-term interests for employees. — VNS