Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, a worker at Dony Garment Company (Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City), calculated that it is easy to encounter price increases during holidays, so she registered to work during the holiday instead of taking time off. According to Ms. Nhan, working on holidays provides additional income during times of economic difficulty and avoids expensive spending. She will take time off to compensate when the workload is low.
Since the beginning of the year, Ms. Nhan’s company’s orders have been more active, and her income has also increased by 10-15% compared to before. On this year’s holidays, she and many other workers at the company only hope to work extra hours to earn additional income; they don’t dare think about going out or returning to their hometown.
Workers are paid three times their normal daily wage for working on holidays.
Mr. Pham Quang Anh, Director of Dony Garment Co., Ltd., said that in addition to the 5-day holiday on April 30th and May 1st, there is also the Hung Vuong Anniversary (April 18th). Despite planning and preparation, the company has been busier than expected due to a surge in orders.
Mr. Anh said that the company still implements a policy of 5 days off for the holiday (for office staff) and 2 days off (for production staff); however, if employees wish to work, they can register voluntarily. Currently, the company has an order that needs to be delivered urgently on the first day after the holiday (May 2nd), so the company has asked workers in the finishing and packaging department to work through the holiday.
“Workers who work on holidays receive special benefits, including increased wages and bonuses. The total income for holidays is three times higher than normal days, not to mention additional bonuses for exceeding KPIs and good performance at the end of the year,” said Mr. Anh.
Regarding the company’s holiday plans, Mr. Truong Hoang Tam, Chairman of the Trade Union of Printing Company No. 7 (Tan Tao Industrial Park, Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City), said that only a few small departments in the office will be closed for 5 days, while other departments will be closed on the actual holiday as before (2 days).
“Because the company does not exchange holidays, all employees are encouraged to take a reasonable number of days off to produce goods. To get 2 days off as规定, the company arranged for employees to work all day on Sunday (April 28th). Currently, the company’s orders are stable, and the workers are very excited about the overtime pay they receive each week,” said Mr. Tam.
To meet delivery deadlines, Printing Company No. 7 arranged for employees to work all day on Sunday and Monday (April 28th and 29th).
For Mr. and Mrs. Phan Van Dan (from Tra Vinh), holidays and Tet are opportunities to “make money” as their wages triple. Therefore, they often register to work through the holidays. The couple currently works as waiters at a restaurant in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. He said that he was scheduled to work on April 29th and 30th and take May 1st off; however, since his colleague planned to return to his hometown, he agreed to work instead.
“During the holidays, the number of customers usually increases. Although it is a bit tiring to work during these days, the salary is higher than usual. Not only my wife and I, but many other employees at the restaurant have also registered to work to earn extra income. After the holiday, we plan to take 2-3 days off to visit our children, who are being cared for by our grandparents in the countryside,” said Mr. Dan.
Many self-employed workers also choose to work on holidays because they have higher incomes than on normal days.
The company does not organize to work through the holidays; however, during the holiday break on April 30th and May 1st, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyen (from Soc Trang) will receive three times more gia con goods than usual to work on at home. Ms. Tuyen used to be a worker at Pro Kingtex Vietnam Co., Ltd. (Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City), skilled in sewing, so she often takes on the tasks of assembling collars, cutting pockets, and making buttons at home after work. She is paid between 1,600 and 3,000 VND for each finished product. Although she has to work constantly with no time to rest, it helps her earn extra money to cover her family’s expenses.
Ms. Tuyen said that going back to her hometown or going out during the holidays would be very expensive because the costs are so high. While all three of her children are of school age and require a lot of care, she prioritizes spending money on necessities.
