According to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), across Vietnam, a pilot labour inspection campaign in the apparel industry uncovered 1,786 violations at 152 businesses in 12 cities and provinces.

MoLISA inspectors, in co-ordination with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, conducted the inspections from May to September, 2015.

Huynh Van Ty, MoLISA Deputy Minister, said that because the apparel industry was chosen for the test inspections, it had been a key foreign currency earner for Vietnam in recent years. It brought in 13.6 per cent of the country’s export revenue and 10.5 per cent of total gross domestic product. Between 2008 and 2013, the sector posted an annual growth rate of 14.5 per cent.

In Vietnam, there are about 6,000 apparel enterprises that are operational and they employ more than 2.5 million workers, which comprises of about 25 per cent of the industrial workforce. Ty said that most employees were manual labourers with limited professional skills.

Nguyen Tien Tung, MoLISA Deputy Chief Inspector, said that the most common violation was overtime hours exceeding the stipulated excess time and he said that 60 companies committees the violation. Besides, 17 firms did not provide sufficient overtime or night shift pay, while salaries in 11 businesses were lower than the region-based minimum wage levels set by the State.

Moreover, many enterprises did not have safety and instructional signs, and did not give information about how to escape during an emergency. The regulations and escape route maps were also not posted in visible areas. Shortage of protective gear, not using the equipment correctly by labourers was also common. About 90 businesses lacked sufficient occupational safety training.

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