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Cutting power kills businesses
Businesses complain that their activities have been severely affected by regular electricity cuts. Many even claim that they may lose all their clients and go bankrupt because they cannot deliver products on schedule while there are power outages.
Thai Hoa-Duc Hoa 3 Industrial Zone endured a full electricity cut on April 15. Nearly 70 workers of Phuong Yen Company, which makes paper packages, sat idle and had lunch.
Huynh Cong Hoang, Director of Phuong Yen, remarked: “I cannot understand why electricity is cut so regularly. When I called and asked the power company, I was told briefly that it was because of an electricity shortage.”
“I know that we lack electricity, but I think power companies need to consider thoroughly when to cut the power and how frequently it should occur,” he added.
“Cutting power means they kill businesses,” he concluded.
Hoang related that four outages took place in the last seven days. “We were informed just 15 minutes in advance about electric cuts by telephone. The power was cut on April 13 and then today, April 15. We have been told that power will be stopped on April 18 as well,” he detailed.
“Most of our clients complain that we cannot deliver products on schedule. We have been slow in delivering carton boxes to Formosa in Dong Nai province. That contract is valued at nearly one billion dong,” he calculated.
Regular power cuts make workers’ income decrease too. Many laborers have threatened to quit because the modest income cannot cover their basic needs. Phuong Yen has been trying to organize night shifts, but only 10 out of 70 workers can work in the evenings.
Tran Hoang Dung, Deputy Director of Tan Hoa Plastics Company in Tan Duc Industrial Zone in Long An, complained that many of his workers left for such reasons.
“50 workers have quit. I am afraid that the numbers will increase if the power cuts continue,” Dung admitted.
He also complained that business has been severely damaged by power outages.
“A Spanish client has cut 70 percent of its order for supermarket bags because of the electricity cuts,” he revealed. “Cargrill and AnCo have canceled contracts on purchasing packages for animal feed, Our Spanish client has issued an ultimatum that we must deliver 200,000 bags by April 18 or else.”
“Our business does not depend on us now, it depends on the electric company,” he maintained.
Meanwhile, Phan Tan Xuat, Deputy Director of Hoa Cam Concrete Company Da Nang branch, lamented how his company is never informed about the timetable for power cuts. “We need to read the newspapers or listen to the radio to know the power schedule,” he confirmed.
According to Xuat, both Chu Lai and Hoa Cam concrete factories have electric generators, but using them regularly leads to costly fuel expenses.
In Hanoi, many restaurants, hotels and production households and families must purchase electric generators to avoid outage problems.
Electric household appliance shops on streets like Hue, Ba Trieu, Le Duan, Truong Chinh and Thai Ha all report that small-size electric generators for family use are selling very well. Most of the machines are made in China and Japan.
vietnamnet, Tuoi tre
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