Improving the quality of grassroots trade unions in the business sector in Nghe An

Lack and weakness

For many years now, the enterprise-based trade unions have left their mark with many practical programs and activities, focusing on union members and workers. Typical examples include the series of activities for Tet Sum Vay, Workers’ Month, Union Welfare, etc.

Not simply standard, basic programs, the team of dedicated, creative, and capable union officials knows how to be flexible in building content, mobilizing resources, and innovating methods to suit the situation, both ensuring the tasks assigned by the superior union and ensuring the production and business situation of the enterprise. It is impossible not to mention some leading units in this content such as the Trade Union of TH Milk Food Joint Stock Company; Luxshare ICT Nghe An Company Limited; Kido Vinh Company Limited, Wooin Vina Company Limited...

Also with responsibility and dedication, the team of grassroots trade union officials in the business sector plays an important role in ensuring harmony.labor relations, promptly grasp the thoughts, aspirations, and pressing conflicts to negotiate, dialogue, and sign Collective Labor Agreements with more favorable terms for workers. This is also the force that participates in propagating and monitoring policies according to the provisions of the law, such as wages, bonuses, social insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance, implementing safety and labor hygiene for union members and workers at the enterprise...

However, in addition to the achievements, this force still has many limitations. “Many grassroots trade unions are not organized and operated in accordance with the expectations of union members, workers and the tasks set by the trade union organization in the current period. The grassroots trade union staff is still lacking and weak, the content and form of activities in some grassroots trade unions are slow to be renewed, the quality of activities is not high, the form of activities is monotonous, lacking in liveliness and attractiveness.

The organization of trade union activities has not devoted adequate time to in-depth discussions on solutions to improve the quality of trade union activities, discuss solutions to improve production and business efficiency, improve working conditions to increase income for union members and workers. The activities of many grassroots trade unions are quite scattered, not really focusing on the core tasks of the trade union organization in the current period; many grassroots trade unions' activities only focus mainly on visiting, congratulating, organizing cultural, artistic, physical education, sports, sightseeing, vacations... Revenue and expenditure, financial management, and the allocation of funds to higher-level trade unions are also issues with many shortcomings," said Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Nhi - Vice President of the Provincial Labor Federation.

The shortcomings and weaknesses of the trade union cadres in the business sector not only affect the position of the trade union organization but also affect labor relations and production and business situations. The series of strikes in recent times is a concrete example of this reality.

Efforts to "upgrade"

The first activity that Nghe An Provincial Labor Federation deployed interm 2023-2028This is a meeting and training event for grassroots trade union officials in the business sector. The event was organized on a large scale and professionally with the participation of 197 key trade union officials from enterprises with over 200 union members in the province. This shows that Nghe An Trade Union has paid great attention to trade union activities in enterprises.

To prepare for this event, the Provincial Federation of Labor has directed the Federations of Labor of districts, cities, towns, and industry unions to collect opinions, recommendations, and proposals from grassroots unions, especially enterprises with a large number of workers and laborers. In addition to the 46 opinions with 8 main groups of issues collected before, the conference also directly received many more enthusiastic and frank opinions at the conference. What is special is that many grassroots union officials have the same concerns and desire to "upgrade" both their knowledge and skills.

Accordingly, many units proposed to organize more training courses on trade union affairs, increase practical training courses and model training courses for grassroots trade union officials. At the same time, there should be a plan to organize trade union officials of enterprises with 200 or more union members to visit and learn at some trade unions in or outside the province.

Faced with the reality that the negotiation skills of collective labor agreements of grassroots union officials are still limited, lacking initiative and fighting spirit to produce quality collective labor agreements, many opinions recommended that the Provincial Labor Federation organize training in the direction of "holding hands to show work", innovation and practice to further train union officials in confidence, understanding and legal bases to negotiate and sign collective labor agreements effectively.

Responding to this content, Mr. Nguyen Van Thuc - Head of the Department of Legal Policy - Labor Relations, Provincial Labor Federation affirmed: "In the past time, the Provincial Labor Federation has organized many training courses with many topics to improve skills and methods of trade union activities, including dialogue skills, building Collective Labor Agreements... However, accepting the wishes of grassroots trade union officials, in the coming time, the Provincial Labor Federation will organize more training courses on skills for the team of officials in charge of Collective Labor Agreements of districts, sectors and some enterprises with a large number of workers".

Listen to all comments from staffbusiness sector unionsand in response to the Nghe An Provincial Labor Federation, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hong - Chairman of the Vinh TTH General Hospital Trade Union shared: “This is a good opportunity for union officials, union members, and employees to directly share difficulties and problems from practical activities with the higher-level trade union, and make recommendations to the authorities. At the same time, improve qualifications, awareness and skills. Attending the event, I myself also learned and accumulated a lot of experience in union activities for the unit. I believe that these meaningful forums will contribute to improving the quality of trade unions in enterprises”.

Recognizing the efforts to "upgrade" the team of trade union officials in the enterprise sector, Mr. Kha Van Tam - Chairman of the Provincial Labor Federation affirmed: "In the coming time, trade unions at all levels will increase their focus on training, fostering, and providing skills and expertise to grassroots trade union officials. Nghe An Trade Union will make more efforts to build a team of grassroots trade union officials in enterprises, especially enterprises with a large number of workers and laborers, sufficient in quantity and strong in quality, strongly innovating the content and methods of trade union activities, improving the quality and effectiveness of grassroots trade union activities, and building an increasingly strong trade union organization".

The province currently has 2,882 grassroots trade unions, with 172,322 union members, of which 530 are non-state sector grassroots trade unions. Of the 530 non-state sector grassroots trade unions, 20 have over 1,000 union members, 41 have over 500 union members, and 68 have over 200 union members.