Bringing the law to workers.

(Baonghean)Recognizing the limited legal knowledge among workers in the business sector, in 2012, the Nghe An Public Employees' Union piloted the establishment of "Legal Bookcases" to donate to several businesses with established trade unions. Based on the results achieved, during this year's "Workers' Month," the Nghe An Public Employees' Union continues to campaign for the establishment of "Legal Bookcases" on a larger scale...

It has proven effective.

Two businesses received "Legal Bookcases" from the Trade Union: Minh Anh Kim Lien Garment Joint Stock Company (Bac Vinh Industrial Park) and Asia Mineral Joint Stock Company (Nam Cam Industrial Park). At Asia Mineral Joint Stock Company, the "Legal Bookcase" is placed in a corner of the dining room, surrounded by airy windows. The "Legal Bookcase" contains 140 books, covering Labor Law, Trade Union Law, Social Insurance Law, Health Insurance Law, Civil Law, and other publications related to workers' rights and policies. A logbook tracks book borrowings. Mr. Nguyen Quang Thai, Vice Chairman of the Trade Union and Production Shift Leader, happily stated that initially, due to the lack of reading habits among workers and the nature of their work, most workers read less, with only key personnel, office staff, and Trade Union officials consulting and researching. However, currently, production team leaders and workers read books more regularly.

Workers of Minh Anh Kim Lien Garment Joint Stock Company

Asia Minerals Joint Stock Company has 105 employees, 90 of whom are union members. The company primarily produces ultra-fine limestone powder for export to countries such as India, France, Germany, Thailand, and Singapore. Over the years, despite the challenging economic conditions, the company has ensured income for its workers. On International Labor Day, May 1st this year, some departments continued production to fulfill signed orders with partners, but employees received 300% of their salary as per regulations. Mr. Thai said: "For workers, the most important thing is having stable employment, a stable income, and having the employer implement the policies issued by the State. At our company, employees are very reassured about these issues..."

Meeting with some production workers, they said that usually, after a tiring day at work, they just want to rest. However, when issues related to their rights arise, they know to turn to the "Legal Library" to find relevant documents. Mr. Hoang Thanh Tam, the head of the operations team, said that usually, after lunch and between 7 PM and 10 PM, the workers have time to borrow books to read. "I'm most interested in the Labor Code, so I can understand my rights and then share that information with my colleagues..." Mr. Tam said.

Minh Anh Kim Lien Garment Joint Stock Company has over 1,000 direct production workers. It is a reputable company known for its good labor relations between employers and employees. The average salary for workers here is approximately 2.8 million VND per month. In addition, workers receive a lunch meal, a monthly attendance bonus of 250,000 VND, a transportation allowance of 50,000 VND, monthly bonuses in three tiers (A, B, C) of 300,000 VND, 200,000 VND, and 100,000 VND respectively, and a weekly bonus of 30,000 VND. Mr. Tran Danh Chuyen, Chairman of the Trade Union and Head of the Technical Department of the company, honestly stated: "Here, the benefits for workers are guaranteed, so employees feel completely secure in their work. Therefore, only occasionally do people look at books. But for the Trade Union officials and departments, the 'Legal Library' greatly benefits from expanding their knowledge." Being a trade union official, participating in management, implementing grassroots democracy regulations, and caring for and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of workers, without knowledge of the law, is very difficult...

Expand the "Legal Library"

The Nghe An Provincial Trade Union of Civil Servants has 43 member unions from the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Committee, departments, agencies, and political and social organizations. According to Mr. Nguyen Duc Hung, Vice Chairman of the Nghe An Provincial Trade Union of Civil Servants, the construction of the "Legal Library" was planned before the "Workers' Month" in 2012. The reason is that the Trade Union of Civil Servants recognized that most workers in enterprises come from rural areas and have few opportunities to learn about the law. Furthermore, in the current period, due to the economic recession, businesses are facing many difficulties, so the potential risks to labor relations are very high; therefore, providing legal knowledge to workers is extremely necessary. Mr. Hung said: "We decided to do it, so we brought the construction of the library up for discussion in the Standing Committee and then the Executive Committee of the Trade Union of Civil Servants. As a result, it received very high support." 43 member trade unions encouraged civil servants to contribute funds and various types of books depending on the function of each unit, then proceeded to purchase cabinets and select businesses that met the criteria to donate them to.

Building on the success of 2012, starting in early April this year, the Nghe An Provincial Trade Union of Civil Servants continued to mobilize member unions to donate funds to build "Legal Bookcases" to be given to a number of businesses during "Workers' Month". "The cost of building each 'Legal Bookcase' is approximately 5.5 - 6 million VND. This year we will expand the number of recipients to include more 'legal bookcases' depending on the amount of money raised. We believe this is very promising because member unions are very supportive of this initiative..." - Mr. Hung happily stated.

According to Mr. Hoang Danh Lai, Chairman of the Trade Union and Deputy Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the Department's Trade Union has implemented a plan for its grassroots union branches to mobilize their members to participate in fundraising. According to the plan, the Department's Trade Union will contribute a minimum of 500,000 VND, but the amount collected will certainly be higher and will be fully submitted to the Trade Union Office to supplement the funding for building the library. Mr. Lai shared: "During 'Workers' Month' in 2013, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment had many activities aimed at workers, among which building the 'Legal Library' is considered a practical and meaningful activity. We hope that workers will have access to legal documents and texts to understand their rights and obligations. I am also proposing to categorize businesses to provide legal materials appropriately; some places should receive books, while others should receive CDs and DVDs, because in reality, some workers do not have the conditions or time to read books."

We accompanied Vice Chairman of the Trade Union Nguyen Duc Hung to the Nam Cam Industrial Zone to understand the actual needs of workers at several businesses. At Lien Hiep Nghe An Co., Ltd., after Mr. Hung discussed the donation of a "Legal Bookcase," Mr. Bui Tien - Chairman of the company's Trade Union - was very happy: "We were planning to invite the Trade Union of the Southeast Economic Zone to train our employees on Labor Law during 'Workers' Month,' and now that the Trade Union has shown concern and donated a 'Legal Bookcase,' nothing could be more joyful"...

Text and photos: Nhat Lan