Part 2: Practical care, sharing to connect
In the colorful picture of the current situation of worker security, the Vietnam Trade Union, specifically Nghe An Trade Union, has constantly strived and innovated to become a warm "arm" and a reliable support for union members and workers. Practical care and timely sharing are the foundation for building trust, attracting and retaining workers, and at the same time, the core task to create a strong and stable workforce.
Author: Diep Thanh - Thanh Chung - Phan Trang
Technique: Diep Thanh
In the colorful picture of the current situation of worker security, the Vietnam Trade Union, specifically Nghe An Trade Union, has constantly strived and innovated to become a warm "arm" and a reliable support for union members and workers. Practical care and timely sharing are the foundation for building trust, attracting and retaining workers, and at the same time, the core task to create a strong and stable workforce.
Nghe An Trade Union has applied many creative ways to multiply the strength of caring for union members and workers. Not only deducting from the annual operating budget, Nghe An Trade Union has promoted its position to mobilize social resources to care for the material and spiritual life of workers and laborers.
In particular, entering 2025, with the theme "Focusing on developing union members; participating in building a clean and strong Party", the care work is further promoted with many new programs. At the launching ceremony of Workers' Month 2025, Nghe An Provincial Labor Federation once again demonstrated its pioneering role in concretizing care with telling numbers. 27 "Union Warm Houses" were awarded, each worth 50 million VND; 107 gifts, with a total value of 127 million VND were given to workers who had work-related accidents and were in difficult circumstances. More than 1,000 union members were communicated to improve their knowledge of occupational safety and hygiene, nutrition and health care.
In particular, the “Workers’ Health Day” program helped more than 400 workers receive health check-ups, medical consultations and free medicine right at the event. This series of activities is not ostentatious or formal; all are organized in the spirit of “taking union members as the center”, taking substance as the measure of effectiveness. And it is from these specific actions that Nghe An Trade Union has affirmed its role in caring for union members and workers.
Also in the Workers' Month 2025, Nghe An Trade Union has soon built the Program "Creative workers, confidently entering the new era" with the Forum "Creative workers", and "Creative labor festival 2025". Activities towards the Workers' Month are also taking place vigorously in many districts such as Dien Chau, Nghia Dan, Quynh Luu, Anh Son, Nam Dan... with sports tournaments, skill competitions, and exchange programs that are both large-scale and practical. The Workers' Month 2025 is also an opportunity for trade unions to demonstrate their role in caring for and protecting the main productive forces of society with gifts, savings books, and health check-up programs deployed simultaneously, ensuring both scale and quality.
Mr. Ta Dinh Phuong, a former worker at Chau Tien Company Limited, shared: “Last year was a year of many ups and downs for us when many people died from silicosis, many people suffered irreversible health damage... In that context, we were very comforted because the trade union organization always cared and supported us. Although our company has dissolved, the higher-level trade union still cared and visited us regularly. At this event, the higher-level trade union created conditions for us to participate in a meaningful playground, which is both mentally fun, physically healthy, and knowledgeable”. Accordingly, workers at Chau Tien Company Limited and thousands of workers across the province received general examinations, including clinical examinations, abdominal ultrasounds, electrocardiograms, ear - nose - throat examinations, eye examinations, teeth - jaw - face examinations.
In addition, Nghe An Trade Union also launched a series of "Union member welfare" programs with free incentives and discounts exclusively for union members and workers at fairs, shopping malls, hospitals, clinics, or extracurricular classes for workers' children. These programs are the result of the union's persistent negotiation, propaganda, and advocacy for business owners, with the core message "workers are valuable assets", "caring for workers is caring for businesses". From 2019 to present, hundreds of agreements on union member welfare have been signed, helping tens of thousands of workers and laborers benefit, from health care to consumer support, from discounts on transportation services to preferential resort services...
The health of female workers - an issue often overlooked due to busy work and economic constraints - is also of special concern to the Union. Through health care welfare programs at all union levels, many union members and workers have discovered health problems and received timely treatment. The "Union Meal" program is another vivid demonstration of this practical care.
Not only taking care of workers, the Union also focuses on their children. The "Connecting Love" summer camp program for workers' children, orphans, and those in difficult circumstances has left many emotions. Many union members and workers were moved to talk about the changes in their children after participating in valuable experiences at the summer camp, returning happier, more open, and more confident...
In summary of activities, Nghe An Trade Union at all levels has supported and mobilized support for union members and workers affected by the Covid-19 epidemic with a total amount of more than 27 billion VND. The total amount of money spent on organizing "Tet Sum Vay" activities in 2023 is more than 77 billion VND, and in 2024, nearly 20 billion VND was spent on Tet care for nearly 23,000 union members. The total budget for "Worker's Month" activities in the 3 years from 2021-2024 is more than 20 billion VND. The "Trade Union Tet Market" program in 2024 through the electronic trading floor has supported 3,000 free shopping cards (each card worth 300,000 VND) with a total value of 900 million VND for 3,000 workers. In addition, the "Loan for employment" program has disbursed 1.3 billion VND.
To truly protect the legitimate rights and enhance the security of workers, the Collective Labor Agreement (CLA) plays a key role. The CLA is an important and necessary solution to take care of the legitimate rights and interests of workers and help businesses develop sustainably. A good quality CLA will help businesses attract and retain workers, while preventing strikes and collective work stoppages in the context of increasingly difficult recruitment and human resource development.
During the implementation process, the Nghe An Provincial Labor Federation has paid special attention to improving the quality of the Collective Labor Agreement. Although some Collective Labor Agreements are still formal, sketchy or simply copy legal regulations, many units have made significant efforts to improve. A typical example is the Southeast Economic Zone Labor Union, which is highly appreciated for its quality Collective Labor Agreements, with salaries and allowances exceeding the regional minimum wage. The rights of workers are clearly defined, strictly implemented, guaranteed according to the law and even higher than the law.
By the end of 2024, there will be 484 enterprises with Collective Labor Agreements, reaching a rate of 82%. Of which, 30/30 state-owned enterprises, reaching 100%; 43/58 FDI enterprises, reaching 74.1%; 411/502 non-state enterprises, reaching 81.9%. These are vivid evidences of the efforts of Nghe An Trade Union in concretizing workers' rights through quality Collective Labor Agreements.
In the new situation, especially after Vietnam joined the CPTPP Agreement and the Labor Code allowed the establishment of other labor representative organizations, attracting and retaining union members has become a vital task of the Vietnam Trade Union. Nghe An Trade Union is deeply aware that developing union members and establishing grassroots unions is not only a task, but a vital task. This spirit has been thoroughly implemented throughout the system with specific targets for each facility.
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This task has never been easy. Trade unions are facing many difficulties and challenges due to economic recession, labor fluctuations, and the risk of labor relations conflicts. Many business owners still do not have a correct understanding of the role and function of trade unions. In addition, businesses often change personnel or encounter difficulties in business and production. Limited allowances and large workloads of trade union officials are also the reasons why many units hesitate to establish trade unions... In the face of these barriers, Nghe An Trade Union still persistently adheres to the set targets with the spirit of "the more difficult the more effort". With the motto of directing activities to the grassroots, taking the grassroots as the area of operation, taking union members and workers as the target of mobilization, trade union officials have creatively overcome difficulties, achieved and exceeded important targets.
To promote the strength of coordination and enlist support from agencies and units, the Provincial Federation of Labor has established a Steering Committee for developing union members, and at the same time built a Support Team for developing grassroots trade union organizations in enterprises. The Support Team has focused on consulting and helping units with many enterprises that do not have trade unions and units that still face difficulties in propaganda and mobilization work. Many grassroots trade unions have also established steering committees for developing union members, set targets for each term, and advised local Party committees to issue directives on this work.
As a result, in 2024, Nghe An province admitted 23,708 new union members, the number of union members increased by 18,330 compared to the beginning of the year, reaching 117.5% of the target assigned by the General Confederation of Labor. At the same time, 87 new grassroots unions were established, reaching 217.5% of the 2024 target of the Provincial Federation of Labor. In particular, 03 grassroots unions were established in the informal sector (reaching 100% of the target) in Dien Chau, Quynh Luu, Hoang Mai town, with 1,503 new union members (reaching 250.5% of the target). In the first 5 months of 2025, Nghe An Trade Union established 8 new grassroots unions with 13,185 union members.
These successes come from many creative ways at the grassroots level. At the Southeast Economic Zone Trade Union, union officials not only sought the support and companionship of the Southeast Economic Zone Management Board right from the time the enterprise was established, but also assigned specific areas to each official to learn about the characteristics of the enterprise and supervise the implementation of the Labor Law. By building relationships with the staff, providing timely advice and answers, union officials have built the prestige and position of the organization in the eyes of the enterprise. There are enterprises where union officials have to persistently go back and forth up to 5 times to be able to successfully lobby. Moreover, the Southeast Economic Zone Trade Union also organizes activities that spread and attract workers such as the "New Rhythm Dance" Contest, "Elegant Youth", "Workers' Sports Tournament"...
In Quynh Luu, the lesson of "being close to the people" has helped the District Labor Federation establish two fishing unions with 2,368 members. Union officials have mobilized with enthusiasm, persistently accompanied and shared with fishermen for a long time, through the government to learn about the fishing community, and build close relationships with prestigious people. Instead of formal working sessions, they come to fishermen on the days when the boats return, play football, eat on the sea, visit and support fishermen in difficult circumstances. It is the closeness and sincerity that helps fishermen see the benefits and agree to establish the union.
In Vinh city, in just the first 6 months of 2024, the City Labor Federation established 27 grassroots unions (exceeding 450% of the annual target), developed 617 new union members (reaching 176.3% of the target), reaching 90% of the target for the 18th Congress of Vinh City Labor Union for the 2023-2028 term. Mr. Thai Le Cuong - Chairman of Vinh City Labor Federation said that the unit has both persistently approached and created friendliness with employers so that they understand, agree, and support the union, and invested people, time, and funds in propaganda work to develop union members and establish grassroots unions.
It can be said that Nghe An Trade Unions at all levels not only promote the role and tasks of their organizations but also mobilize the participation of businesses, workers and resources of socio-political organizations to better care for union members and workers. From there, attracting union members, the position of the trade union organization is increasingly affirmed and honored.
“We always listen, understand, and respect opinions, especially those of workers. On that basis, we formulate policies, build laws, and organize implementation. All for the goal of happiness and prosperity of the people, including workers and laborers. Listening, dialogue, and sharing to understand each other and take responsibility for taking care of things. This is also the common responsibility of ministries, branches, localities, and related entities.”
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh
