Vietnamlawmagazine

Light fines for working illegally in Vietnam have not been a deterrent to preventing the increasing number of illegal foreign workers in the country, according to the Department of Employment under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA).

The Department said some localities had just slapped a light penalty on companies for fear of driving away foreign investment.

It recommended that fines for violations involving illegal foreign workers in Vietnam should be increased.

Nguyen Dai Dong, head of MOLISA Employment Department said it was urgent to draft an Employment Law with specific regulations on foreigners working in Vietnam.

The law should specify conditions for working in the country and include regulations on issuing permits for foreign employees. It should also set out the rights and responsibilities of employees as well as employers who hire foreign workers.

The regulations should require investors to only employ foreign workers for jobs that Vietnamese workers were unqualified to perform, he said.

Currently, MOLISA is collecting for opinions from relevant agencies before submitting a proposal to the Government in June and to the National Assembly in October.-