'Worker dissatisfaction' contributed to riots
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Poor industrial relations may have contributed to the riots in Binh Duong in May, according to research conducted by the Project for Promoting Sustainable Compliance in Vietnam. The riots, which took place during the anti-China protests, damaged many fore
“Incidents like that can take place anytime, anywhere, if workers’ dissatisfaction is not dealt with and if they don’t feel their concerns have been answered,” said Dang Thi Hai Ha, chief technical adviser of the project.
The project, also known as FLA 3.0 Vietnam, funded by the US Department of State and implemented by the Fair Labour Association, indicated that out of a total of more than 5,270 strikes during the 1995-2013 period, none were legitimate.
During the riots in Binh Duong in May, many workers attempted to vandalise not only other companies but also their own firms.
Workers who responded to the FLA 3.0 project survey said that extremists involved in the riots probably resented their firm’s managers. Some said the workers could have been angered by ill-treatment from managers.
Ha said low pay was not the only reason for worker dissatisfaction. She said other factors included frequent requirements of overtime work and delays in paying wages.
During 2012-2014, the project surveyed 5,000 workers randomly selected from 32 textile and footwear firms in 13 provinces. Seventy-seven per cent said it was impossible for them to choose work shifts, while 36 per cent said they could not afford the right to refuse overtime.
In addition, 50 per cent said their wages were insufficient to cover basic needs if they worked less than 54 hours a week.
According to Ha, while it seemed that the authorities had achieved some success in controlling disputes by reducing the number of strikes to 351 last year, this might not have been due to better industrial relations.
The reduction might have been because workers were afraid of losing their jobs in difficult times, not because they were more satisfied with their work, Ha said.
But dissatisfaction was still there and workers kept it to themselves for a long time before strikes broke out, she added.
An examination of 268 strikes last year involving more than 106,000 workers in seven cities and provinces indicated that companies lost 3.2 million hours of work due to strikes.
About 12.4 per cent of respondents to the survey said they thought that strikes were the best way to solve disputes, while about 26 per cent said they thought it helped.
Nearly 50 per cent said they would consider participating in a strike if it occurred at their firm.
Yet, while showing willingness to take part in strikes, Ha said workers were still afraid to directly voice their concerns to their managers.
About 47 per cent of workers who responded said they would choose to use suggestion boxes to hide their identities and 30 per cent said they would talk to fellow workers.
However, 34 per cent said they would talk to line supervisors and 27 per cent said they would discuss matters with trade unions or workers' representatives.
