The move came after the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs recently issued Circular 06/2021/TT-BLDTBXH to amend several provisions of Circular 59/2015/TT-BLDTBXH.

Under Clause 1, Article 1 of the newly-issued circular, part-time workers at the commune level, who are working under a labour contract with a term of one month or more, will have to participate in compulsory social insurance as with the group of employees working under contract.

This is a completely new regulation that was not been included in Circular 59/2015/TT-BLDTBXH.

Clause 2, Article 1 of the new circular supplements a regulation on receiving sickness benefits for people who cannot work because of illness less than 24 days per month. It said people would receive the sickness benefit not beyond one month's sickness allowance.

Besides, Clause 3, Article 1 of the new circular said employees who participate in the compulsory social insurance, get sick or have an accident, which is not a labour accident, or have to take leave from work to take care of their children under 7 years old for at least 14 working days in a month, will receive the sickness benefits calculated on the salary of the month before the employees take leave from work.

Under the previous circular, the sickness benefit is calculated on the salary of the month that employees take sick leave./.