Binh Thuan's labor, Invalids and social affairsc

AN ADDRESS OF FAITH AND CONFIDENCE

Binh Thuan's Service of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs is the professional agency helping the province's People's Committee to conduct State management and some non-productive work in the field of labor, invalids and social fairs within the province in conformity with the State's laws and policies as well ; professional instructions of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affair (MLISA). The Service has encouraged employers, laborers, war invalids, martyrs, those who greatly devoted to the revolution, their families ld others to implement the Party's guidelines and the State's po/1cies and protect legal rights of these objects.

Job generation a burning issue

Recently, the residents in many communes in Binh Thuan have significantly improved their living standard thanks to the model “women engage in garden economy" under which they have jobs and sustainable income. This is a heartening achievement brought bout by the province's Service of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs. The methods are very simple. In the past, without proper measures and investment, the local production remained underdeveloped and petty. A lot of lands were fall-owed, many forest and water areas were not exploited. Moreover, the locals focused on the cultivation of Short-term food crops and plants, thus production was unstable.

The Service has instructed the people to change the economic structure in accordance with the orientation to reduce the area of food crops, raise productivity of each land plot, increase the area of industrial crops and fruit trees, and link processing industry to the consumption markets.

Another issue that worries many households is how to mobilize investment capitals. Recognizing this worry, the Service has made great efforts to increase loan capitals from the State budget while minimizing the rates of sink money and overdue. The national fund for Job assistance has been supplemented with VND 2 billion by the Central authority, increasing the province's total capital to VND 21,788 million. In this year. 474 projects have been provided with loans of the total sum of VND 8,500, creating jobs to 303 laborers. By promoting the management of loan capitals, the rate of sink money has been reduced below 5 percent of the total capital, the rate of overdue reduced under 10 percent of the total debt.

The reality shows that the Service has set up sound orientations. In 2002, the work of job generation was enhanced. The 2002 socio-economic development plan initiated by the province's Party Committee and People’s Council was successfully implemented. Many norms were fulfilled, especially in four key programs: shifting the structure of p/ants and animals; tourism development; infrastructure investment; and socio-economic development in the residential areas of ethnic minorities. Many unemployed and underemployed laborers have been provided with Jobs. Thanks to these effective measures, the entire province has generated jobs for 19,050 laborers, reaching 92.2 percent of the plan and equivalent to 103 1 percent against 2001.

The policy guideline of the Service is to provide vocational education to youths, enabling them to develop their skills in the future. The vocational education centers throughout the province have trained 2,157 youths, gaining 100 percent of the yearly plan. The courses on industrial garments, electronics, household electricity, electro-mechanics have attracted a great number of students. The province's Center for Employment Services has cooperated 1 with some universities and colleges in enrolling 575 students for secondary-and high-level training courses of accountancy informatics, electronic informatics, information technology trade and business administration. The courses of agricultural promotion, husbandry, veterinary, management of small enterprises have nurtured 1,600 trainees.

Vocational education has evolved. The demand for vocational education has increased significantly. Many district and city-level vocational education-al centers have been invested. Up to now, the two centers in Tuy Phong and Ham Tan Districts, which were separated from the Center for Employment Services. are operating independently with a high efficiency. Five districts have conducted feasible researches on the construction of vocational educational centers. Their reports have submitted to competent authorities for approval. Beside. the Service of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has actively collaborated with high schools and collages 'in other provinces to open many training courses, providing more opportunities for laborers to find Jobs, raising their qualifications and promoting socio- economic development.

In 2002, many units signed labor contracts with 7,019 laborers, increasing the total number of laborers under contract to 16,876, reaching 83 percent of the total number of employees working in enterprises. The Service made collective Labor agreements for eleven units, raising the number of effective collective labor agreements to 44 out of i55 units, reaching 23.38 percent. The labor regulations were approved in seven units, raising the total number of the registered labor regulations to 70 out of 155 units, gaining 45.16 percent. The Service also issued 1.579 labor books for 31 units, increasing by 5.26 percent against 2001.

The work of social insurance has been promoted by the Service in cooperation with the province's Social Insurance Company in conformity with the Party and State's humane policies. some regimes and polices for laborers, such as. those to provide retirement allowances and severance-pays have been applied.

Reciprocation and repayment tradition

Binh Thuan is the land imbued with glorious feast during the resistance wars. A great number of Binh Thuan's natives heroically struggled and sacrificed their lives for the nation's revolutionary cause. They could not welcome the day of national reunification. Nearly quarter of the century has passed, the whole country in general and Binh Thuan in particular has tried best to develop the nation's tradition to reciprocate and repay those who have greatly devoted to the country. For the past years, implementing the MLISA'S Circular N_o 09, the province's Service of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has conducted surveys and gathered documents to recognize 131 martyrs, 85 war invalids, 134 revolutionary prisoners and eight cadres who took part in the pre-1945 clandestine revolutionary activities. The Service has supplied 2,538 resistance-war cadres with package relief, 118 resistance-war activists and their children, who are affected by the US orange agent, with monthly allowances, 56 vanguard youths with difficulty pensions, increasing the number of pensioners to 12.000 and the total allowance sum of VND 392,104,000. The Service has also suggested the State to recognize 22 Vietnamese Heroic Mothers. With the Service's counseling, the province's People's Council and People's Committee have issued the assistance policies to fund expenses for the funerals of martyr's support-less parents, to purchase health insurance for resistance-war activists and pensioners under the Decision 200/ by the province's People's Committee. The confirmation and recognition of those who made great deeds to the revolutionary cause have been carried out effectively in every commune and ward in line with the State's regulations. The documentation and file work has been improved.

At the beginning of 2002, the province summarized the reciprocation movement in 2001 and initiated the movement to build reciprocation fund for 2002. Until 15 September 2002, the entire province mobilized VND 2,458 million, gaining 121.4 percent of the plan, increasing 8.3 percent in comparison with 2001. With this sum and the province's aid fund of VND 2 billion, at the end of 2002, the localities constructed and repaired 550 houses for the preferential policy-enjoyers who faced difficulties in accommodation. The Service funded 300 people who made good deeds to the revolutionary cause to convalesce in Nha Trang City and 250 others at home.

The Service has persuaded five units within and outside the province to provide month allowances to 20 Vietnamese heroic mothers. Eight houses have been built for martyrs' support- less mothers. And presents and gifts offered the mothers during the traditional holidays and festivals have helped to soothe their pains and partly compensate their losses.

The assist war invalids and their families, the Service of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has initiated the movement on war invalid and martyr work to all communes and wards. Thanks to a broad and in-depth development, a system of reciprocation funds has been founded to facilitate the movement. In this emulation movement, 27 communes and 26 individuals have been commended.

The local people were much moved when seeing the staff of the Service traveling everywhere lo collect and bring the martyrs' remains back lo the provincial cemetery. The Service has also funded the collection and construction of the family-managed graves of 218 martyrs.

Beside the reciprocation work, the Service's budget has been effectively exploited in the work of regular and emergency assistance, especially for disadvantageous children. In the assistance mobilization, Minors organization has provided 700 mosquito nets and 700 blankets to the ethnic people in three communes Đông Giang, La Dạ and Đong Tien (Ham Thuan Bac District), and built two kindergartens in La Dạ Commune. VNAH organization has supplied artiflcial limps to 67 disabled people in Ham Tan District and 30 wheel-chairs in Tuy Phong. Danadopt organization has implemented its project to take care of disadvantageous children in the period 2002-2007, funding US$ 3,900 per year on average.

Eradication of social evils

Binh Thuan is always proud of its picturesque landscapes. For the recent years, the province's tourism and services have developed rapidly. A great number of restaurants, hotels and bars have mushroomed. The market mechanism and the đổi mới policy have brought about a rapid socio-economic development but also a lot of social evils which are challenging security service, cultural sector and other competent sectors. The Service of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has considerably contributed to make the society clean. In 2002, the Service conducted 681 inspections of service and business establishments. razing 31 prostitution dens. Moreover, the Service has paid great attention to educate and rehabilitate many drug addicts through cultural, sports, vocational education, labor and production activities. The work to build healthy communes and wards without social evils and the movement "New Life and Cultural Way of Life" have been supported by people.

Conclusion

For the past ten years. Binh Thuan's Service of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has suggested the local authority to design and implement many po/1cies on labor, inva/1ds and social affairs throughout the province, greatly contributing to socio-economic development in 2002. The sector's inspection and supervision work has been strengthened, focusing on some urgent issues such as working regimes and preferential policies for those who made good great devotion to the country. There remain many challenges which the sector needs to overcome. However. with its fervor, good experience and high sense of responsibility, we can believe that Binh Thuan's sector of labor, invalids and social affairs will further advance in "improving people's welfare, raising people's intellectual standards and promoting democracy.”

THANH LAM