Trai Thien, the
air cargo carrier and shipping service provider, has not paid salaries to its
staff for the last five months. No ship can weigh anchor and steam off to the
high seas, and no aircraft can take off at this moment. Trai Thien’s operation
has become paralyzed.

The office of the President of Trai Thien Group on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Road in district 3 in HCM City is closed

Trai Thien
Group made debut on October 16, 2009, announcing the business strategy on
making heavy investment in maritime transport and the aviation market. Right at
opening ceremony, Trai Thien announced the listing of its shares on the US bourse. It
has also got the license to set up Trai Thien Air Cargo.

However, to
date, the obtaining of the license proves to be the only activity of the group
in the aviation market. Regarding the maritime transport, Trai Thien has six
operational ships. However, the crews of the ships all say “they have not got
pay for the last five months.”

“We have
not got pay for November and December of 2010 and for the first three months of
the year. We are living in difficulties,” said a sailor of a Trai Thien’s ship.
“We have to borrow money from friends and acquaintances to feed out families”.

It is
estimated that Trai Thien has to pay 200-220 million dong per month to the crew
of a ship. This means that Trai Thien is owing one billion dong to every ship.

Another
sailor said “the company promised to pay salaries two months ago, but he still
has not got any dong so far. If the company does not pay today, we will not
keep the ships in operation any more,” he told VnExpress on April 15.

Trai Thien
promised to pay the sailor four million dong a month. His ship is now docking
at Hai Phong Port
which has been loaded with cargo, but has not left the port.

Not only
Trai Thien’s crew, but all the staff of the company are complaining of  the tardiness in salary pay, and has put big
difficulties in their lives.

According
to VnExpress, the office of the President of Trai Thien Group on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Road
in district 3 in HCM
City, is closed. It seems
that the office has been not operational for a long time. The area in front of
the office has become the parking lot of the clients who go to the café next to
the office.

“Sometimes
I can see some people – they are security guards. However, they leave just
after several minutes,” a local resident said.

Meanwhile,
the headquarter of the group, at No 253 Khuong Viet in Tan Phu District in HCM
City, is also quiet with just three security guards.

“The
company is owing me six months pay. My salary is low, only 3.2 million dong a
month. But I still cannot get the pay,” a security guard complained.

Nguyen Van
Thang, Deputy General Director of Trai Thien Maritime Transport Development
Company, also confirmed that he has not got pay for the last many years.

“The
president still cannot find the financial sources for the company,” Thang said.
“We have asked the president to return from the US to settle the problems. He has
promised to return this month, but I am not sure”.

VnExpress
has quoted an official from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam CAAV as
saying that the official in October, 2010 received a call from Trai Thien’s
finance director, who said “Trai Thien is trying to arrange money to pay to
staff.”

The
official said Trai Thien has not provided air services yet, therefore, CAAV
still cannot request the air carrier to report its financial situation.

“If the air
carrier does not exploit the market two years after the day of receiving the
license, CAAV will instruct them to make report and consider revoking the right
to provide transport services.

Source: VnExpress