A survey by the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs shows that this year the average monthly salary for workers is around VND2.75 million ($150), up 6.5% over 2008.

In detail, the pay for workers in state-owned enterprises averaged 3.2 million dong, up 1.2 percent. Meanwhile, workers at foreign-invested firms averaged 2.6 million dong, up 7.8 percent, while those in private firms received 2.35 million dong, 5 percent up.

As of 2010, the minimum salary will rise averagely 15 percent for workers at local firms and 10 percent at foreign-invested companies.

This year nearly 300 strikes were recorded, equivalent to 30 percent of last year. Most of the strikes occurred at Suth Korean and Taiwanese-invested textile-garment, footwear and mechanical engineering enterprises in HCM City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Hai Phong and Tay Ninh.

In most of the cases, employers didn’t perform labor contracts signed with workers, paid salary late or illegally lengthened work hours.

PV