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| Over 300 staff at a South Korean-run firm in Binh Duong Province have gone on strike due to the company failing to pay their Tet Lunar New Year bonus. |
According to a report from the Binh Duong Provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, about 300 of the 370 workers at the company didn't go to work and joined the strike.
Explaining their decision to strike, the workers said that the company had only given them half of the Tet bonus before the Tet holiday and promised that they would get the remainder on the first working day after the holiday. However, when they returned to work after the holiday on January 27 and asked about their remaining bonus, the company refused to make the payment.
Talking to local media, a representative of the company admitted that they had announced they would give a Tet bonus equivalent to one month’s basic salary for workers who have been working for over a year, and those working for less than a year would receive less based on their contract. They had given half of the bonus on January 18 and promised to give the remainder after the Tet holiday.
"After discussing with the workers and local authorities, we have issued a new announcement to give the remainder on February 10," the representative said. "The workers have agreed to return to work on January 30."
The Binh Duong Provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs said that some 255 firms with over 37,000 workers resumed operations since January 27 following the Tet holiday.
"Due to the falling number of orders, some firms are delaying operations and have allowed workers to have a longer Tet holiday," the department said. "Many workers have decided to seek job opportunities in other places and not return to Binh Duong to work."
