Many people work all year but still do not have enough money to go home for Tet
With the economic difficulties, many workers in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong province are anxiously waiting for their Tet bonuses. Some have decided to stay and celebrate the New Year at their boarding house because they know for sure that even if they have more money, it will not be enough to cover the cost of going home. On a weekend in mid-December, workers at Hung Loi 2 boarding house (Tan Uyen city, Binh Duong province) mostly stay at home instead of working overtime during the peak period at the end of the year. “There are no orders, no work on Saturdays and Sundays, the sisters just sit together and chat to kill time,” said Ms. Le Thi Kieu Tan.
When asked about the Tet bonus, the group just smiled because they were still waiting. In the boarding house, there are Ms. Mai and Ms. Quynh, both from Soc Trang, who came to Binh Duong to start a business. Ms. Mai used to work as a garment worker, while Ms. Quynh worked as a construction worker for projects near the boarding house. Since the company cut staff, the construction sites gradually stopped accepting the elderly, the two middle-aged women have only known how to hang around doing seasonal work, picking up cold rice to dry to make ends meet.
With only 2 weeks left until Tet, Ms. Mai and Ms. Quynh can only wait to see if their husbands and children will receive a Tet bonus so they can pack up and go home. While picking vegetables to prepare for lunch, Ms. Mai confided that this year her husband’s company will not give a 13th month salary bonus because of a decrease in orders. According to the announcement, we will know how much Tet bonus we will receive after the 23rd day of the lunar calendar.
“Last year we stayed here, so this year we really want to go home for Tet but we haven’t decided yet because we’re afraid we won’t have enough money,” Ms. Mai said. Ms. Mai Thi Thu Ngan (from Can Tho) and her daughter decided to celebrate Tet at the boarding house. “Last year, the two of us also stayed here. The baby is about to enter first grade, which costs a lot, so I have to save up,” Ms. Ngan said. Like most workers, Ms. Ngan also had to wait until the company closed for Tet to know whether there would be a bonus this year or not.
According to Vietnamnet
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