By Park Jin-hai
Phan Dinh Toan, logistics team manager and elected trade union chairman of VRG Dongwha MDF in Vietnam, says that before he joined the company his perception of Korean companies was largely negative.
"As we see in newspaper reports about hot-tempered and abusive Korean owners beating Vietnamese employees, my image about Korean firms was not good," said Phan during an interview with The Korea Times.
But since he joined Dongwha, he said he is proud to be part of the Dongwha family.
"Our workers' morale is especially high," said Phan, the father of two children. "The Vietnam plant capacity has increased 20 percent in the past two years. Previously, Vietnamese workers moved to the region to work at the plant by themselves without their families because it is far from the capital. Now their families are moving to the region to be with them, because they see the company has further growth potential."
Because the plant is operating at capacity, another production line will be added by next year, Phan said.
He said there had not been a dispute between management and the union since he took the good paying job in 2012.
"The relationship has been good between the Vietnamese workers and the Korean executives," Phan said. "The union works as a dialogue channel, bridging the different views between the two parties."
He said the trip to Korea provided an important opportunity to better understand the two distinct cultures and learn more about his company.
He was surprised to see Dongwha's Asan plant operating with such a small number of people.
Phan mentioned three factors that made him happy with the company. "First, the wages are the highest in the Binh Phuoc Province, where Dongwha is located," he said. "Thus, Dongwha is the most respected company in the region. Second is the work environment and last but not least, is its positive growth outlook in the Vietnamese market."
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| Phan Dinh Toan |
"As we see in newspaper reports about hot-tempered and abusive Korean owners beating Vietnamese employees, my image about Korean firms was not good," said Phan during an interview with The Korea Times.
But since he joined Dongwha, he said he is proud to be part of the Dongwha family.
"Our workers' morale is especially high," said Phan, the father of two children. "The Vietnam plant capacity has increased 20 percent in the past two years. Previously, Vietnamese workers moved to the region to work at the plant by themselves without their families because it is far from the capital. Now their families are moving to the region to be with them, because they see the company has further growth potential."
Because the plant is operating at capacity, another production line will be added by next year, Phan said.
He said there had not been a dispute between management and the union since he took the good paying job in 2012.
"The relationship has been good between the Vietnamese workers and the Korean executives," Phan said. "The union works as a dialogue channel, bridging the different views between the two parties."
He said the trip to Korea provided an important opportunity to better understand the two distinct cultures and learn more about his company.
He was surprised to see Dongwha's Asan plant operating with such a small number of people.
Phan mentioned three factors that made him happy with the company. "First, the wages are the highest in the Binh Phuoc Province, where Dongwha is located," he said. "Thus, Dongwha is the most respected company in the region. Second is the work environment and last but not least, is its positive growth outlook in the Vietnamese market."
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