VietNamNet
Bridge – The excellent students of the
Hanoi University of Foreign Trade, who have been promised an internship period
of working in a “modern international and professional environment,” have
complained that they are assigned to do simple manual works.
In
early February 2012, 48 excellent students of the third and fourth year of the
Hanoi University of Foreign Trade, one of the most famous universities in
Vietnam, were chosen for the one-year internship and working period in
Singapore. 37 students were told to work at Changi Airport and 11 at Wingtai
fashion retail chain.
The
selected students were told that they would have the chance to work and
practice in a modern, professional working environment, improve their foreign
language skills. Especially, they were promised to enjoy attractive wages of
450 Singaporean dollars a month at minimum.
Just
two months after leaving for Singapore, the students emailed to the school
board of management, complaining that they are the victims of the “labor
exploitation,” and “discriminatory treatment.” They also pointed out that the
working and living conditions are quite different from what they were promised.
The
selected students all are working at SATS, the company which provides land
services to Changi international airport. The students’ daily work is pushing
wheelchairs for disabled, while some of them have been forced to help undress
passengers to relieve themselves.
Especially,
the students have been forced to take the night working shifts, 1-9 am.
“We
will try to bear the hard work, modest income, discriminatory treatment. However,
working from one to nine o’clock would damage our health,” a female student
said.
The
student said that they had not been informed about the works and the provisions
of the contracts signed with SATS until they attended a training course at the
airport. Meanwhile, the partner has been usually late in paying wages and
allowances. The utensils have low quality, while Internet access speed is very
slow.
“I am
studying at a leading university in Vietnam where we are taught the principles
to avoid disadvantages when doing business with foreign partners. However, I am
feeling that I am being cheated,” a student said.
While
the problems of the students remain unsettled, the Hanoi Foreign Trade
University is looking for other students for the next working trips to
Singapore.
Dao Thi
Thu Ha, MA, Deputy Head of the International Cooperation Division of the Hanoi
University for Foreign Trade said on the afternoon of April 23 that some months
before sending the 48 students to Singapore for the internship period, the
President Hoang Van Chau himself and the advanced party flew to Singapore to
check the places where his students would work.
Ha said
the university joined forces with Singaporean Interisland, a job brokerage
firm, to organize a workshop about the internship. Interisland said it would
introduce laborers for SATS and Wingtai – the partners the university is
cooperating for the first time.
Ha
affirmed that the broker interviewed every student to test their qualification
and explained to students about the works and the wages. “All the students,
when asked if they are ready to push wheelchairs to help special passengers,
answered “yes”,” she said.
Ha also
said that working at night is inevitable, because the airport runs 24/24 hours
a day, affirming that this was informed to students before they left Vietnam.
However, facing the opposition from the students, SATS has agreed to remove the
night shift from 1-9 am.
When
asked about the commission Interisland pays to the school for the introduction
of the students, Ha said that the commission is “inconsiderable,” about 100
dollars per student, adding that the school does not do this to make money, but
just aims to create conditions for students to have internship periods in
foreign countries.
Source:
VnExpress
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