Unwelcome break: wood workers get a month off for Lunar New Year

Without sufficient orders to keep production going at normal levels, the Lee Fu Wood Company at the Tam Phuoc Industrial Park in Dong Nai Province plans to give more than 650 employees a month off (January 2-28) for the upcoming Tet holiday.

Kieu Van Dong, head of the company’s workers’ union, explained the plight of workers and the business at a conference on the wood sector hosted by the Dong Nai Labor Federation earlier this week.

Workers were taking Saturday off and facing significant financial difficulties, he said. He requested authorities to devise a plan to assist them immediately.

The Chien Furniture Manufacturing Company located in the same industrial park, is also planning to let workers have a month off for Tet .

Nguyen Thi Thanh Tin, the company’s deputy general director, said that they had managed to get orders and provide jobs and incomes 1,200 workers, but this was much less than in previous years because of the overall state of the economy.

She said the number of Tet holidays for workers in 2023 will be more than three times the normal in previous years. Wages and time off will be calculated by the company in a way to ensure worker benefits. The company will schedule a consultation with the entire production team in order to reach an informed conclusion, she added.

“Letting workers take the Tet break early will allow them to have more time to rest and it will make it easier for them to travel back home.”

Amid the order shortages, several wood industry businesses in Binh Duong Province also plan to take a long Lunar New Year break.

Duong Quang Hiep, HR Director for the Hoang Thong Wood Company, said though official dates have not been set, the Tet holiday in 2023 will start earlier and last longer than in previous years.

Since May, the firm has seen a decline in new orders and many workers have left since they can no longer work extra shifts to augment their income.

Dang Tan Dat, deputy director of the Legal Policy Department of Binh Duong Province Labor Confederation, said a shortage of orders was the general situation for many enterprises operating in the wood, textile, and footwear industries, resulting in shorter working hours for the staff. Some employers have assigned workers to work alternate days of the week, he noted.

Dat said in such a situation, many factories are opting for an early, extended Tet holiday. Echoing Thanh Tin, he said workers will get more time with their families and have less difficulty traveling during the holiday (because they would avoid the heavy crowds and higher transportation charges).

Officially, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has proposed to the prime minister that the Tet holiday lasts seven days from January 20 to January 26 next year.

This option applies to government agencies and units, though it is used as a general guideline across the country. In the private sector, the Tet holiday dates are determined by production and business conditions.