Northern Hai Duong Province Improving Investment Environment

Vietnam Business Forum’s reporter had an interview with Ms Nguyen Thi Minh, Chairman of Hai Duong People’s Committee about this issue.

According to Ms Minh, with 17 industrial zones and 30 industrial parks filled with about 60%, up to now the province of Hai Duong has received 200 foreign investment projects from 23 countries and territories, with total investment capital registered over 2,516 million (101 non-industrial zone projects with total capital of US$859.9 million and 99 industrial-zone projects are, with total capital of more than US$1,656 million). There are 136 projects which have been put into production and business, attracting over 80,000 direct employees in enterprises with thousands of other indirect workers.

 

As one of the pioneer provinces in the establishment of Representative of Employers and the Council of Employers, Hai Duong has had experience and a sense of the three-side model which is interested by the business community?

 

It is said that the employers and the employees are on the same boat. But I think that the authorities are also on the boat, contributing the hand rowing the boat landing to the goal of sustainable economic and harmony development. We know that many investors said that they were not afraid of inflation or economic slowdown but illegal strikes. Therefore, Hai Duong, with a force of relatively large investors should pay more attention to this special issue. On the other hand, we also identified this is also the necessary solution to improve the investment climate of Hai Duong province Indeed despite the economic crisis making businesses hard but no investor left. They still stay and develop as the province's investment climate actually attracts and retains investors.

 

We are determined a government for enterprises and accompanying enterprises for common purpose. The province has actually built up close relationships between management authorities of the State and enterprises. The government leaders holds twice dialogues with businesses every half year. But whenever necessary enterprises can exchange or meet with government leaders at all levels.

 

In the coming time, we will coordinate all departments, unions, associations to support business partners in strengthening cooperation, dialogue, negotiation and signing of collective labor agreements, providing businesses with existing rules and regulations concerning labor policies and labor relations, information relating businesses and sharing experiences in human resource management and business community relations. Besides, we will organize propaganda and mobilization for employers to strictly observe labor laws and improve social responsibility, building harmonious labor and sustainable relations in enterprises.

 

Investors are worried about the quality of human resources and the shortage of labors in both quality and quantity in where industrial zones are developed. What about Hai Duong?

It is also general difficulties of enterprises, especially in high-tech industrial zones. Although Hai Duong ranks top five of colleges and university students of the country and has high percentage of students attending the national and international competitions, skilled and qualified workers remain limited in meeting demands in industrial zones and parks. However, human resource workers are skilled, high demand in the industrial zones, CCN limited. The locality also falls in "abundant teachers, scarce trainees" situation while vocational training institutions have not caught up.

 

This easily causes businesses to scramble workers. What is the government support for businesses on this issue?

Previously, this situation had occurred, reflected in spontaneous labor slowdowns of workers in some enterprises, mainly garments. The main reason leading to these slowdowns was mainly due to the unsatisfactory level of salary compared with other enterprises in the industry. Upon the occurrence of cases, enterprises were looking to the province for help. But our viewpoint is not to use administrative orders to interfere in relations between enterprises and the enterprises themselves. However, we were always quickly together with the representative of the employers and employees finding the cause for appropriate measures to remove. After such slowdowns, in addition to explaining to the parties on proper implementation of the provisions of law, we also recommended employers about the need to improve their competition capacity from wage level to other welfare regulations, creating favourable and stable production and living environment for employees to stick with their employers.