Chinese without work permits to be expelled

VietNamNet Bridge – The Dak Nong Province Department of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs said it would recommend expulsion of all Chinese workers at the Nhan Co Aluminum Plant in Dak R’Lap District who fail to apply for work permits within two months.Chinese workers at the construction site of the Nhan Co Aluminum Plant in Nhan Co Commune, Dak R’Lap District, Dak Nong Province. (Photo: Lao Dong)

The workers have two months, starting August 5, when they were found working without work permits, to submit the documents required for the purpose, Nguyen Duc Nguyen, deputy head of the department, told Tuoi Tre Thursday.

“After that date, we will recommend [expulsion],” he said.

The warning comes after Tuoi Tre discovered that 190 out of the 312 Chinese workers registered as “highly skilled” by the main contractor Chalieco had no documents to prove their qualifications.

Nguyen said he had himself inspected the plant construction site and found many of the Chinese workers engaged in simple tasks, just as reported by Tuoi Tre.

“The workers did such simple tasks as erecting scaffolds. I asked the contractors why they were assigned to do such jobs, and they said it was their business.”

“Vietnamese workers are unable to install scaffolding for the foundation at a depth of tens of meters, cannot work for 15-16 hours at a stretch, and do not have discipline,” he quoted them as saying further.




Asked why there were 193 unskilled Chinese workers at Nhan Co while the Government’s policy is not to allow foreign workers of this type, Nguyen said the workers reportedly had five years’ experience.

“Unskilled foreign workers are allowed if they have such experience.”

But he admitted that “experience” was very vaguely defined under Vietnamese law.

“The certification of such experience is done by agencies in workers’ home countries, and Vietnamese agencies grant work permits simply based on the certificates to foreign workers.”

He also admitted that his department had been caught napping over the hiring of Chinese workers without work permits since the project management unit had reported it too late.



VietNamNet/Tuoi Tre