Workers reluctantly sign petition... to voluntarily quit the job they have been working for since their twenties

Regret signing voluntary resignation papers

Leaving the poor countryside of Tuyen Quang to go to Hanoi to find work when she was only 20 years old, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tinh has now had 15 years of experience as a worker at Thang Long Industrial Park (Dong Anh, Hanoi).

For 15 years, she has worked for an eyewear manufacturing company in an industrial park. When she first started her career, she only received a salary of nearly 1 million VND/month. Now, her basic salary is 6.7 million VND. Only by working overtime can the female worker earn an income of up to 8 digits (over 10 million VND).

She and her husband work for the same company. When her two children were school age, this female worker only worked during office hours so that she could have time to pick up and take care of the children, leaving the extra work to her husband.

During the company's "golden age", the income of the couple was enough to make a living.

After many years of hard work and saving, they were able to save some money. In 2014, they bought a 50m2 plot of land and built a house in Dong Anh district. In total, the amount of money spent on buying the land and building the house was more than 700 million VND.

Công nhân miễn cưỡng ký đơn... tự nguyện nghỉ việc gắn bó từ thuở đôi mươi - 1 — Workers looking for jobs at Thang Long Industrial Park.

Since the Covid-19 outbreak, the company's orders have continuously decreased. Currently, she only works 3 sessions per week. Her most recent salary was 5.6 million VND/month, exactly the amount of money to pay for her two children's school fees.

Ms. Tinh worried: "Honestly, I never thought of having to quit my job at the company. For workers, the factory is very close, and the time spent at the company is more than at home."

When the company asked employees to sign a voluntary resignation list, Ms. Tinh also considered it carefully. However, with the current situation of no work at the company, it is difficult to continue working.

After signing the list, she thought everything would calm down. Unexpectedly, just two days later (July 17), the female worker received a notice of termination of her labor contract, and did not need to return to work at the factory.

"Our group of workers had to ponder for many days before deciding to sign the voluntary resignation form. Because we have been with the company for too long. However, in this difficult situation, workers have no other choice," the female worker said, her eyes filled with tears.

Disappointment and regret invaded her mind, she was also confused because she was almost 40 years old, now she continued her journey of preparing her job application. "I can't stay home any longer, I'm going to starve", she thought.

The severance pay provided by the company is nearly 70 million VND, but she still saves it in her account and does not withdraw any money. She plans to use that money to maintain social insurance payments and pay for her children's school fees for the upcoming new school year.

Two weeks after quitting her job, Ms. Tinh still hasn't found a suitable job. "Many companies in the industrial park only hire workers aged 18-35. I'm worried that I won't be able to find a job," Ms. Tinh shared.

Female workers after 35 years old apply for jobs?

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai, who works at the same company as Ms. Tinh, is in a similar situation. Ms. Hai just left her position as shift leader with a salary of 8 million VND/month.

Since August 2022, the company has been facing many difficulties. Workers have been taking turns to take leave and receive 70% of their basic salary. By 2023, everyone hopes that more orders will come in and the company can recover, but there is no miracle.

Many workers were encouraged to voluntarily resign, and would receive additional benefits from the company. Although she did not want to, but there was not much work left, Ms. Hai was forced to voluntarily quit her job.

Currently, her family's living expenses depend on her husband's salary. In 2022, the couple tried to buy an apartment near the area where they work. Of the 900 million VND to buy a house, they had to borrow up to 700 million VND, and each month, the interest payment was not small.

Công nhân miễn cưỡng ký đơn... tự nguyện nghỉ việc gắn bó từ thuở đôi mươi - 2 — Ms. Hai had to cook and sell food in the apartment building after quitting her job (Photo: NVCC).

The high cost of raising children and living in the capital has forced her to find a new job. However, the job search journey for workers over 35 like her is not easy. After many years of doing the same job, there are not many practical professional skills.

These past few days, she has had to create extra work by cooking and selling food in the building. Although the work is hard, it has helped the unemployed woman earn some money to support her expenses.

"I definitely have to find a job. I hope to find a job during office hours so I have time to pick up and drop off my children and take care of their studies," Hai said to herself.

Workers at Ms. Hai's age can hardly work overtime and extra hours like before.

Ms. Tinh and Ms. Hai are two of hundreds of thousands of workers who have lost their jobs due to the reduction of factory orders over the past half year. According to the General Statistics Office, Ministry of Planning and Investment, the number of workers who lost their jobs in the second quarter of 2023 was 217,800 people. Of which, the main concentration is in the group of workers in the textile, footwear, electronic components and products manufacturing, and wood processing industries.

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