Since 2006, a number of businesses in the southern province of Binh Duong has turned down to workers from the central provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ha Tinh.
An undercover journalist posing as a resident from Thanh Hoa Province visited several industrial parks and export processing zones in Binh Duong to apply for a job with a friend, but their applications were turned down as companies weren’t prepared to recruit people from Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces.
Since 2006, a number of businesses in Binh Duong has turned down to workers from Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces
From public to tacit blacklisting
After knowing that the reporter and her friend wanted to seek a job, other people from Thanh Hoa Province advised them to give up. Mr. Dung who is working at Tan Binh Industrial Park, said, “Some years ago, when I just came to Binh Duong and looked for a job at Dai Dang, I was really shocked to see that a footwear company had a banner outside saying that they would not recruit workers from Thanh Hoa and Nghe An”.
But now, instead of such banners, the refusal is regulated through a tacit regulation. Many people who even pass the job application fail to secure employment because their permanent residency papers list that they come from the central region.
H.D Ltd. Company in Song Than Industrial Park recruited 400 workers with relatively high salaries and other good labour policies, however when the reporter and her friend said they were from Thanh Hoa Province, they were immediately refused.
Despite trying to contact the recruitment board of the company for the second time, the reporter still failed and receiving an explanation from a staff member that, “This is the company’s regulation”. Even she offered a bribe to take her application he still refused, adding that, “There’s no way I can help you because the recruitment board has two or three people who will interview you and if they know that you are from the central region they won’t select you.”
Trade Union Chairwoman of Binh Duong Province’s Industrial Park and Export Processing Zones Mrs. Bich Hanh finally helped the reporter contact Mr. Phi who is H.D Ltd. Company’s trade union official and also in charge of recruitment. He said that last month, the company had items stolen from its premises and another case in which a worker attacked a manager. Both of the violations involved workers from Nghe An, and since then the company had begun checking the origins of new staff.
However, when the reporter asked to meet Mr. Phi to find out more information, he declined and even threatened to inform the police.
The reporter also received the same reaction from firms at Dong An and Dai Dang industrial parks.
A spokeswoman from the E.V Garment Company at Dong An Industrial Park, said “People from Nghe An, Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh provinces must have guarantors to be employed by the company.”
Vague reasons
Many other labourers from these localities faced the same problem with the reporter. A security guard at Dong An Industrial Park said, “I’m also from Thanh Hoa Province. I understand people’s disappointment. In reality, a number of local workers are often quarrelsome and get drunk. When a worker from the province was dismissed, a group of locals protested against the company about it.”
According to most of local businesses, workers from the central provinces are very diligent but often hot-tempered and a majority of strikes were caused by regional people.
Mr. Hung from Duc Tho District, Ha Tinh Province, shared, “It is easy to get a job in HCM City, but the cost of living is higher. However, we are blacklisted in Binh Duong just because of our permanent residence.” He moved to the south some years ago, but has not yet found a stable job.
A man shared that, “We wanted to lodge a petition with the authorities to ensure equal treatment for us, but we don’t know which agencies will be responsible for this.” Meanwhile, most of workers from the three provinces said that it was only the security guards of local companies in Binh Duong that directly refuse to receive their applications, while recruitment offices use different reasons for their refusal or do not interview the applicants.
Authorities still confused to deal with the problem
Bui Thanh Nhan, Vice Chairman of Binh Duong Trade Union, admitted that a number of local enterprises had refused work for people from these provinces since late 2006, mostly in the foreign-invested sector and those operating in footwear and seafood.
He added that while the province is attracting human resources for investment projects, businesses turned down people from some central localities just due to their permanent residence registration.
According to the provincial Social Insurance, Binh Duong is now home to over 600,000 workers, with 80% of them from other localities. Those from Nghe An, Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh account for up to 60% of the total.
Mrs. Bich Hanh, Trade Union Chairwoman of Binh Duong Industrial Parks and Export Processing Zones, said this is the first time that she has ever heard about the boycott. She noted that the Labour Code bans discrimination about gender, social class and religion, not the region; therefore, dealing with the problem would be difficult. “We’ll report on any such case so that punishments can be considered. However, it is necessary to have evidence of their violations,” she emphasised.
According to her, workers that have faced discrimination can send their petition to Binh Duong Industrial Parks and Export Processing Zone Trade Union.
