Workers complain about overcrowding, hundreds of rental apartments are closed and empty

Video : Hundreds of apartments for workers left abandoned in Da Nang

In October 2020, the Hoa Cam Industrial Park workers' housing project (Hoa Tho Tay ward, Cam Le district, Da Nang) was inaugurated and put into use in phase 1 with an investment capital of 70 billion VND. This is a project invested by the Da Nang City Labor Federation with a total area of ​​27,755 m2. The project consists of 3 blocks of 5 floors, including 278 single rooms and 7 double rooms, providing accommodation for about 600 workers. The project has full facilities such as parking garage, common room, kindergarten, medical station for common use for all 3 blocks of buildings.

However, according to VTC News, after 3 years of use, all 3 blocks have less than 100 rooms rented, the rest are still locked and sealed.

The reason the apartments do not attract workers to rent is because the area is too small, only 15-17m2, and is arranged in a closed manner including a kitchen, drying yard, and toilet, so it does not have enough minimum living space for workers with families and children.

According to worker A Lang Thi Vit (in Dong Giang, Quang Nam ), the house area is too small, so all activities of eating, sleeping, and receiving guests are shared by a single bed. "Workers are far from home, have low salaries, and are very happy to be able to rent a house in the company house, but in reality, the area is too small, so living is cramped. Workers who live alone are fine, but those who have families and children do not have space to live," Ms. Vit shared.

Ms. Nguyen Hoang Khanh Lien (renting apartment 210) said that her family of 4 rented a house to live and work, but the area was small so there was no space to live. "The house is only 15 square meters, if calculated, each person has less than 4 square meters, so it is very cramped. The whole apartment only has enough space for a table and chairs, a study desk for the children, and there is no way to walk. I know it is cramped, but my husband and I are workers, with low and unstable income, so we have to accept it, because if we rent outside, we cannot afford it," Ms. Lien said.

The house Lien and her husband rent has only the right aisle left. Household items are left wherever there is space, there is no more space to arrange them.

Not having enough living space, Ms. Lien's family had to hire a worker to make an iron frame to divide the room into a mezzanine. The lower part has a table and chairs and a study desk for the children, while the upper part is the bedroom. "The lower part has a table and chairs and a bed for the husband, and the upper part is where the three of them sleep. The mezzanine is only 80cm high, so every time we go up to sleep, we have to crawl and can't stand," Ms. Lien said.

Responding to VTC News, a representative of the Workers' Housing Management Board said that because the houses were built with such a small area, many workers were not interested in the housing despite their housing needs. Initially, the apartments were designed for only one person, so the area was so small. However, in reality, many workers already had families and children, so they could not meet their minimum living needs. "As far as I know, the Labor Federation and related departments and branches are surveying to expand the area by combining apartments. If this is possible, it will meet the space demand and solve the problem of workers' housing needs," the representative said.

Up to this point, only 1 block of houses has workers renting, the remaining 2 blocks are vacant, even though the need for workers' housing is very large.

Source: https://vtc.vn/cong-nhan-che-chat-ca-tram-can-ho-cho-thue-dong-cua-bo-khong-ar838115.html