UEH Ensures Equivalent Employment Rights for Workers Employed by Outsourced Service Providers
Towards creating a fair and safe working environment that respects employees’ rights, the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) maintains a policy to ensure equivalent employment rights for personnel employed by outsourced service providers. The policy aims to safeguard fundamental labour rights, including wages, insurance, working hours and rest periods, occupational safety, non-discrimination and freedom from forced labour, regardless of whether workers are directly employed by UEH or work through service providers.
In 2025, UEH continued to communicate its policy commitments, implement service provider selection activities and maintain mechanisms for monitoring labour obligations throughout service delivery, thereby contributing to the promotion of decent work under SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth.
1. Commitment and Scope of the Equivalent Employment Rights Policy
UEH considers the protection of employees’ legitimate rights and interests an important principle of organisational governance. This principle applies not only to the University’s public employees, lecturers and directly employed staff but also extends to personnel working for organisations and businesses providing services to UEH.
The policy entitled “Employment practice equivalent rights outsourcing” has been reviewed, maintained and publicly disclosed by UEH on UEH Future. It establishes the responsibilities of service providers to comply with Vietnam’s Labour Code and standards relating to working conditions, wages, insurance and occupational safety.
For outsourced services such as security, cleaning, canteen operations and other operational support services, UEH publicly states its requirement that service providers comply with applicable labour standards throughout contract performance. The policy aims to ensure that outsourced workers enjoy fundamental labour protections equivalent to those provided to UEH’s directly employed workers, taking into account the nature of their work, employment relationships and relevant legal regulations.
According to the publicly disclosed policy, UEH’s outsourcing contracts reflect the principle of respecting and complying with national and international labour standards. Service partners are required to fulfil their obligations to workers concerning wages, insurance, working hours, leave entitlements and occupational safety.
Policy Source:
- UEH Future – 8.2.5. Employment practice equivalent rights outsourcing, dated 5 November 2025, under the section “Commitment to Labour Law Compliance and Protection of Workers’ Rights”.
UEH publicly discloses its policy requiring service providers to ensure equivalent fundamental labour rights for outsourced personnel in accordance with applicable legal regulations. Source: UEH Future, “Employment practice equivalent rights outsourcing”, dated 5 November 2025.
2. Labour Rights and Requirements for Service Providers
UEH implements its equivalent employment rights policy in accordance with the Labour Code No. 45/2019/QH14, the Law on Social Insurance and other regulations concerning the rights and obligations of employers.
The requirements publicly communicated by UEH to service providers include:
| Category of Employment Rights | Protection Provided to Outsourced Workers |
| Wages and Income | Workers must receive wages no lower than the applicable regional minimum wage, with wage entitlements guaranteed in accordance with their employment contracts and the law. |
| Compulsory Insurance | Workers must be enrolled in social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance where they fall within the categories subject to compulsory coverage. The direct employer is responsible for fulfilling these obligations in accordance with regulations. |
| Working Hours and Rest Periods | Workers must be provided with regulated working hours, weekly rest days, annual leave, public holidays and other statutory leave entitlements. |
| Maternity and Welfare Benefits | Workers are entitled to maternity benefits, sickness benefits and other applicable entitlements in accordance with legal requirements and the relevant employment relationship. |
| Occupational Safety and Health | Workers must be provided with safe working conditions, appropriate protective equipment and opportunities to participate in occupational risk prevention activities. |
| Freedom from Discrimination and Harassment | Workers must be treated with dignity and must not be subjected to discrimination or harassment in the workplace. |
| Freedom from Forced Labour and Exploitation | Workers must not be subjected to abuse, forced labour, fraudulent recruitment or other unlawful forms of exploitation. |
In particular, Article 8 of the 2019 Labour Code specifies prohibited acts in the field of labour, including discrimination, forced labour, sexual harassment and deceiving workers for the purposes of human trafficking, exploitation or forced labour.
UEH implements its equivalent employment rights policy by requiring service providers to take responsibility for protecting workers’ rights and cooperating with the University in monitoring the fulfilment of relevant obligations.
Policy Sources:
- UEH Future – 8.2.5. Employment practice equivalent rights outsourcing, under the section “Policy on Wages and Working Conditions”.
- UEH Knowledge Repository – Prohibited Practices in the Employment of Workers, covering the implementation of Article 8 of the 2019 Labour Code.
UEH establishes requirements concerning regional minimum wages, compulsory insurance, leave entitlements and a safe working environment free from discrimination for workers employed by service providers. Source: UEH Future, dated 5 November 2025.
The UEH Knowledge Repository publishes “Prohibited Practices in the Employment of Workers at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City”.
3. Mechanisms for Monitoring and Supervising the Rights of Outsourced Workers
In addition to publicly disclosing its policy, UEH identifies the supervision of service contract performance and labour obligations as an integral part of its supplier management activities.
Under the policy, relevant functional units, including the Organisation and Human Resource Development Department, the University Office and the Infrastructure Management Department, coordinate to monitor service partners’ fulfilment of labour obligations throughout the provision of services at UEH.
- Require service providers to submit quarterly payroll records and lists of workers participating in social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance to support the inspection of compliance with employment conditions.
- Monitor service providers’ fulfilment of their contractual obligations and compliance with applicable laws.
- Receive feedback and comments from outsourced workers concerning working conditions and employment rights.
- Assess compliance with requirements for a safe and fair working environment that respects workers’ rights.
- Conduct annual anonymous surveys to assess outsourced workers’ satisfaction and the extent to which their rights are protected.
According to the report, the University recorded an average wage for outsourced workers that was higher than the regional minimum wage applicable in Ho Chi Minh City. Workers covered by the reported statistics were enrolled in social insurance, and 95% of outsourced personnel participated in occupational safety training. For the 2023–2025 period, UEH reported no recorded cases of labour rights violations or contractual breaches by service providers.
These measures demonstrate the monitoring mechanisms publicly disclosed by the University, contributing to policy compliance and the protection of outsourced workers’ rights.
Source:
- UEH Future – 8.2.5. Employment practice equivalent rights outsourcing, under the section “Monitoring and Enforcement Mechanisms”.
UEH publicly discloses mechanisms for monitoring service providers’ obligations concerning wages, insurance and working conditions, combining surveys and assessments of outsourced workers’ rights. Source: UEH Future, dated 5 November 2025.
4. Outsourcing Activities and Policy Implementation in 2025
In 2025, UEH continued to implement contractor selection and service procurement activities to support the operation and management of its facilities. The services covered included security, cleaning, building management, dormitory management, and the care and maintenance of green spaces.
According to the list of documents published by the UEH Finance and Investment Planning Department, supplier selection activities were carried out through procedures for preparing and clarifying bidding documents and approving contractor selection results. These service categories fall within the scope of the equivalent employment rights policy applicable to outsourced personnel.
Summary of Activities in 2025
| Date | Document / Activity | Implementation Details | Significance for Policy 8.2.5 |
| 27 June 2025 | 811/ĐHKT-TCKHĐT | Clarification of bidding documents for the green space care and maintenance service package. | Identifies outsourced activities involving personnel responsible for landscape maintenance at UEH. |
| 28 June 2025 | 814/ĐHKT-TCKHĐT | Clarification of bidding documents for the security service package. | Identifies security personnel as a group covered by the outsourced workers’ employment rights policy. |
| 28 June 2025 | 815/ĐHKT-TCKHĐT | Clarification of bidding documents for the cleaning service package. | Identifies cleaning personnel as a group whose employment rights must be protected during service delivery. |
| 28 June 2025 | 816/ĐHKT-TCKHĐT | Clarification of bidding documents for building and dormitory management services and several UEH facilities. | Expands the scope of supplier management in the operation of the University’s facilities. |
| 11 July 2025 | 876/QĐ-ĐHKT-TCKHĐT | Approval of the results of online contractor selection for the cleaning service package. | Records the selection of a service provider in 2025. |
These documents demonstrate that UEH’s outsourcing activities cover various categories of regularly provided services. The implementation of these service packages falls within the framework of a policy requiring service providers to comply with labour regulations and ensure fundamental rights for personnel assigned to work at UEH facilities.
By combining contractor selection procedures with mechanisms for monitoring labour obligations, UEH aims to strengthen the accountability of service partners and maintain a safe and fair working environment that respects workers’ rights.
Sources:
- UEH Finance and Investment Planning Department – List of Documents Issued in 2025, searchable by document numbers 811, 814, 815, 816 and 876.
- UEH Future – 8.2.5. Employment practice equivalent rights outsourcing, under the sections “Commitment to Labour Law Compliance and Protection of Workers’ Rights” and “Monitoring and Enforcement Mechanisms”.
Documents related to the selection of outsourced service providers at UEH in 2025.
Source: UEH Finance and Investment Planning Department, List of Documents Issued in 2025.
Integrating Outsourcing Policies into Fair and Sustainable Human Resource Management
UEH’s policy of ensuring equivalent employment rights for outsourced workers forms part of its broader commitment to fair, transparent and responsible human resource management. In 2025, UEH continued to organise activities to disseminate knowledge of labour legislation and social insurance, helping raise awareness of workers’ rights and obligations, including those of outsourced personnel.
Notably, on 11 April 2025, the UEH Trade Union organised a thematic session on the 2024 Law on Social Insurance, with 248 participants. The programme helped participants stay updated on social insurance regulations and strengthen legal awareness within the UEH community.
In 2025, UEH implemented fair human resource management policies and disseminated information on social insurance legislation.
Source: UEH Portal; UEH Trade Union, activity held on 11 April 2025.
5. Implementation Results and Conclusion
In 2025, the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City continued to maintain its policy of ensuring equivalent employment rights for workers employed by outsourced service providers, with clear requirements concerning wages, insurance, working hours and rest periods, occupational safety, non-discrimination and freedom from forced labour.
The public disclosure of the policy, the maintenance of mechanisms for monitoring service providers’ obligations and the implementation of outsourcing activities in 2025 have contributed to strengthening UEH’s responsibility for protecting workers’ rights, including those who do not have direct employment contracts with the University.
By integrating supplier management activities with labour standards and principles of fair governance, UEH continues to work towards building a safe and transparent working environment that respects human dignity, contributing to SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth.