The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (VGCL) on May 19 said it will support union members who are Covid-19 patients (F0) with VND3 million (US$130) each and VND1.5 million (US$65) for those who made close contact with the F0.

Units at the frontline in the fight against the pandemic, including medical facilities, make-shift hospitals, and concentrated isolation areas, will receive VND10-50 million (US$433-2,169) each.

Union members and employees who are F0 and undergoing treatment, without Covid-19 prevention protocols infringement will benefit the maximum support level of US$130 per person.

The representative of the VGCL gives money to support union members and workers in Bac Giang province. Photo: Ha Quan

For those who made close contact with the F0, under mandatory isolation of 21 days, and do not violate the Covid-19 prevention protocols, the maximum level of support will be US$65 per person.

The VGCL also applies a maximum support level of VND500,000 (US$21.66) per person for union members and employees who undergo mandatory quarantine at home, providing that they are very poor, nursing a child under 6 years old, or pregnant women.

Each person is entitled to benefit from the support only once. The local administrations will make a list of the beneficiaries.

In the above-mentioned move, the VGCL has supported more than 51,000 workers in Bac Giang province, one of Vietnam’s current Covis-19 hotspot. These workers are temporarily ceased because of the pandemic.

Ngo Duy Hieu, vice president of the VGCL, handed over VND200 million (US$8,666) to support union members, workers, officials and employees in the province.

In Bac Ninh province, the country’s another Covid-19 hotspot, Hieu handed VND100 million (US$ 4,333) to support union members, workers, officials and employees.

Hieu said trade unions at all levels need to have solutions to take care of workers and ensure their safety in the upcoming national election.

The VGCL will soon issue a policy to benefit all workers and no one will be left behind, Hieu stressed.

Vietnam's latest Covid-19 wave has seen 1,722 local cases in 30 cities and provinces since late April, including 618 in Bac Giang and 361 in Bac Ninh. The two hotspots are home to several large industrial parks that employ thousands of workers.