Lesson 3: The Power of "Listening" in Labor Relations
In fulfilling their roles, functions, and responsibilities, the trade union officials have demonstrated their strength in listening to and understanding the thoughts and aspirations of union members and workers. From this, they have provided guidance and support to ensure the rights of union members and workers while also harmonizing labor relations between workers and employers.
Lesson 3:
The power of "listening"
in labor relations
In fulfilling their roles, functions, and responsibilities, the trade union officials have demonstrated their strength in listening to and understanding the thoughts and aspirations of union members and workers. From this, they have provided guidance and support to ensure the rights of union members and workers while also harmonizing labor relations between workers and employers.
Those who hold the scales of justice fairly
The investment in numerous large projects and the growth of businesses in Nghe An province in recent years are positive signs of economic development. However, alongside these encouraging economic indicators, complex issues regarding labor relations have been noted in recent years. According to statistics, from 2021 to April 2024, there were 17 illegal collective work stoppages and strikes in Nghe An province. In the first nine months of 2024 alone, there were 6 collective work stoppages by workers in businesses throughout the province. Some of these work stoppages were very complex, involving a large number of participants and requiring lengthy resolution times. Although these events were relatively peaceful, this situation has led to many negative consequences for businesses, workers, and the locality.
Among the businesses experiencing collective work stoppages, Viet Glory Co., Ltd. (Dien Truong commune, Dien Chau district) is considered a "hot spot," having gone on strike three times in three consecutive years. In the most recent strike, on October 2nd, 2023, thousands of Viet Glory Co., Ltd. workers gathered in the parking lot and refused to work the afternoon shift. When the incident occurred, the Dien Chau District Labor Union and other relevant district authorities were present, understanding the workers' concerns and collecting eight groups of requests, which were then forwarded to the company's leadership. Two of the main issues were an increase in basic wages and a review of the piece-rate system. The remaining issues concerned other worker benefits such as hazardous work allowances, maternity leave, attendance fines, meeting times, management attitudes, and timekeeping mechanisms.
“In a collective work stoppage, thousands of workers will have thousands of opinions. Trade union officials will be the ones directly involved in working with the workers, listening to and synthesizing those opinions into specific groups, examining the situation to negotiate a harmonious balance of interests. Most importantly, with their knowledge of labor law, trade union officials must know which opinions are right and reasonable, and which are wrong and unreasonable. This is where trade union officials demonstrate their skill in engaging with both workers and employers,” emphasized Mr. Nguyen Chi Cong, Vice Chairman of the Provincial Federation of Labor.
In the case of Viet Glory Co., Ltd., in response to workers' requests for a wage increase, the company's leadership stated that the current difficult business and production situation did not allow for further adjustments, and asked for the understanding and cooperation of the employees. In response, union officials at all levels explained to the union members and workers that the company was already paying workers a basic salary of 4,130,000 VND/month, higher than the regional minimum wage, thus making the workers' demands unfounded. Simultaneously, using their legal knowledge and reasoning, the union officials persuaded the company's leadership to reconsider production quotas, attendance bonuses, and welfare benefits, as well as review the management's attitude. After five tense days, with the skillful and empathetic intervention of the union, over 5,000 workers at Viet Glory Co., Ltd. agreed to return to work.
BSE Electronics Co., Ltd. (Nam Cam) is also a company that has experienced numerous collective work stoppages. “The most recent one was at the end of April 2024. The reason for the stoppage was that the company reassigned some elderly workers to cleaning duties, causing resentment among the workers. Previously, this company had deducted wages when workers took leave due to the death of their parents… In this situation, the company failed to understand the basic moral principles, traditions, and culture of Vietnamese people. Therefore, we had to both persuade and reassure the workers while also explaining the issue clearly to the company. Most businesses have the support of lawyers, so besides having a firm grasp of the law, we also have to be resolute when necessary and analyze the situation with empathy and reason,” said Ms. Hoang Thi Thu Huong, President of the Trade Union of the Southeast Economic Zone.
Regarding this matter, the Nghe An Provincial Trade Union focused on directing the organization of three conferences to find solutions for preventing and resolving strikes in the province, and advised on the development of a project entitled "Some solutions to prevent and limit strikes that do not follow legal procedures in Nghe An province in the period 2022 - 2030". During the development of this project, trade union officials from the Provincial Federation of Labor organized workshops and learned from the experiences of localities with large numbers of workers such as Binh Duong, Can Tho, and Ho Chi Minh City...
Speaking during a recent visit by the Provincial Labor Union to the company, Mr. Yao Xiao Qian, General Director of VietGlory Co., Ltd., happily expressed: “We are truly grateful for the companionship and support of the Nghe An Labor Union over the years. Without you, the company would not be where it is today.” With two factories and over 8,300 employees, the business and labor relations at this enterprise are increasingly thriving. The greatest evidence of this is perhaps the cheerful atmosphere among the workers, who have received salary increases, allowances, and respectful treatment.
In mass mobilization, Uncle Ho emphasized the need to "work together to explain things to the people." Within trade unions, union officials must work together to explain things to both workers and employers. Once both workers and employers understand, union officials must continue to "stay close," accompany, and guide them.
Listen in many ways.
"Listening to and understanding the thoughts and aspirations of workers" is considered the optimal measure to prevent and resolve labor relations conflicts.
Throughout the history of the Nghe An Trade Union, perhaps never before have forums for workers been organized as frequently as in recent years. Since the issuance of Resolution 02 of the Politburo on reforming trade union organizations in the new situation, hundreds of forums for union members and workers have been organized at all levels, and thousands of workers' opinions have been recorded and reflected.
Perhaps the highlight of this series of forums was the first dialogue conference between the Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province and workers, which took place in mid-2022. Attending this event, Comrade Ngo Duy Hieu – Vice Chairman of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor – affirmed: “This can be considered a model dialogue conference with a well-organized and democratic program. The workers' suggestions were diverse and rich, all addressing typical issues of concern to them. The Chairman of the People's Committee of the province conducted the conference in an engaging way, creating a close, sincere, respectful, and understanding atmosphere.” To organize this event, the Nghe An Provincial Trade Union planned for two years, carrying out numerous activities to survey and gather opinions, suggestions, and proposals from workers in all districts, sectors, and grassroots trade unions through various channels and methods.
Since then, with the aim of understanding the thoughts and aspirations of workers, the trade unions at all levels in Nghe An have developed many other forum models. Typical examples include the "Enterprises for Workers - Workers for Enterprises" forum, the "Thank You to the Workers" program, policy dialogues with relevant agencies, and meetings with worker-voter constituents. From these forums, the thoughts, aspirations, and suggestions of workers have painted a comprehensive picture of their lives, highlighting urgent needs for housing, childcare facilities, unmet benefits, and obstacles in policy implementation. In addition, many workers have lost their jobs or experienced reduced incomes while market prices are rising; the problem of outstanding social insurance contributions continues; and issues related to employment, wages, and working hours are not being implemented according to regulations in some areas.
“Given the shift-based nature of the work, gathering a large group of workers to understand their thoughts and aspirations, answer their questions, and engage in direct dialogue is very difficult. To overcome this limitation, trade union officials at all levels have been flexible and creative in their approach to information gathering, for example, going to workers' dormitories to distribute survey forms, visiting factories to offer support, and using QR codes to record feedback online… Besides workers, we can also understand the thoughts and aspirations of business owners and grassroots trade union officials. Based on this information, trade unions at all levels have made recommendations to relevant agencies and local authorities to make appropriate changes and adjustments, helping to improve workers' lives, ensure their rights are protected, and allow them to work and produce with peace of mind,” shared Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Nhi, Vice President of the Provincial Federation of Labor.
With the aim of listening to the thoughts and aspirations of workers and protecting their rights, at the grassroots level, trade union executive committees have been trained, guided, and directed to conduct regular dialogues with business owners. Coordination in implementing grassroots democracy regulations continues to improve. The number and quality of employee conferences and workplace dialogue meetings have increased. Annually, 100% of units organize employee conferences; the rate of dialogue meetings and employee conferences in enterprises reaches 50% - 76%.
According to the project "Strengthening the role of trade unions at all levels in Nghe An province in improving the quality and quantity of collective labor agreements in enterprises during the 2022-2028 period" of the Provincial Federation of Labor, currently 468 out of 543 enterprises in the province have collective labor agreements, and the content of these agreements has enhanced the rights of workers beyond what is stipulated by law.
It can be affirmed that the need to express one's thoughts and aspirations is one of the essential needs of union members and workers. Through workers' forums, problems and shortcomings have the opportunity to be resolved, policies and regulations have the opportunity to be improved, conflicts in labor relations are prevented, and workers themselves are once again able to affirm their position.
