The report, which was released yesterday, cited that 18 per cent of female migrant workers had experienced significant salary cuts.

With an aim of determining the effects of the economic crisis on the lives and jobs of female migrant workers in Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, the report indicated that most of the payments earned by labourers did not match the time and effort they exerted in their work.

Because it is difficult to find new jobs with a higher salary and better working conditions, labour disputes at the majority of enterprises have cooled off, according to the report.

"Most labourers in my group do not know who the trade union members are in my company," says Nguyen Lan Hanh (not her real name). "We only hear about the trade union when the organisation collects its fees every month."

As many as 24 per cent of female migrant workers surveyed have yet to join the trade union at their company. When asked why, most of them said the unions had not brought any practical benefits, nor had they approached the labourers.

According to Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, director of the Labour Science Institute under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, it is impossible to protect the interests of labourers if trade unions do not promote their role of protecting workers and raising awareness among the labourers about their duties and rights.

Statistics released by the Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour reveal that about 144 strikes were held across the country in the first six months of this year, equal to 40 per cent of the same period last year.

The reasons behind the strikes were mainly due to a failure among enterprises to strictly implement regulations for salary, social insurance, working conditions and extra working hours.

The absence of trade unions has given enterprises a free hand to violate the social insurance rule.

The report indicated enterprises typically paid a lower rate for social insurance for their labourers than regulations required. Under existing regulations, employers must pay social insurance based on the net salary of the worker.

However, the report found that most labourers surveyed had social insurance deducted from their salaries for their retirement pensions based on minimum wage or the amount indicated on their signed contracts.

By revealing the effects of the economic crisis on female migrant labourers, Actionaid and the Centre for Co-operation in Human Resources Development also want the report to become an effective tool for policymakers to develop measures to help these labourers overcome difficulties.