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Sep 13, 2019 / 16:45

Vietnam confederation proposes one more day off for workers on New Year holiday

Anh Kiet - Truc An

Currently, Vietnamese are working longer than people from many countries, thus the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor suggested that workers should be entitled to more day-off.

The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor has proposed adding one more day to (solar) New Year holiday entitlement, local media reported.

According to Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor Ngo Duy Hieu, working time reduction is a progressive trend.  
 
Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor Ngo Duy Hieu. Photo: Viet An
Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor Ngo Duy Hieu. Photo: Viet An
Currently, Vietnam’s maximum work hours permitted is 48 hours per week, which means Vietnamese are working longer than people from many countries in the region and the world. Since 1999, Vietnam has implemented a 40-hour workweek in state agencies, Hieu added.

He noted that up to now, Vietnam has made great socio-economic gains, but the regulation of 40-hour workweek is only applied for civil servants. It created a significant gap between those working for the government and those in the private sector.

On that basis, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor suggested that workers should be entitled to one more day off on New Year holiday.

Labor ministry decides on the plan of next Tet break

The Vietnamese Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) has recently decided on day-off plan for Tet holidays (Vietnam’s Lunar New Year) in 2020.

According to Ha Tat Thang, director of the MoLISA’s Department of Labor Safety, the MoLISA has decided that workers will take two days off immediately prior to the last day of the Year of the Pig and three days off following the first day of the Year of the Rat, plus two days of weekend. 

The MoLISA in late August proposed two options for a seven-day Tet break in 2020 for laborers.
 
In the first option, workers will take the break for Tet holiday from January 23 to January 29 while in the second one, the Tet break will last from January 24 to January 30.

After considering the two options, both of which will last seven days, the ministry considered the former is more suitable as people working away from home will have two days off to travel and prepare for the most significant holiday of the year.
 
Vietnamese people got a nine-day break for the last Tet that fell in February this year.

There has been a long-lasting debate on whether Vietnam should merge the Lunar New Year holiday with (solar) New Year fest, and the Tet holiday should be shortened as the country's productivity is low.

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