Party development in non-state enterprises: Lack of strong direction from grassroots party committees

(Baonghean) - Despite many efforts, after more than 3 years of implementing the Project on developing party members and party organizations in private enterprises (PIEs) and foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) according to Decision No. 5155-QD/TU, the number of newly admitted party members and established party organizations in enterprises is still low, not reaching the set target. The reason is partly due to the irregular and indecisive direction of the grassroots party committees.

Many units "stand still"

As one of the two units selected by the Standing Committee of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee as a "point" with the number of enterprises within the scope of project implementation being 41, Quy Hop has set out targets such as: Every year, the whole district establishes on average at least 3 new grassroots party organizations (TCCSĐ) in private enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises. Every year, 100% of TCCSĐ in private enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises (with resources) develop plans to create sources of party sympathy, of which over 50% admit new party members; Every year, the whole district admits at least 1 private enterprise owner into the party...

However, after 3 years of implementation, Quy Hop has not yet established any more Party organizations in private enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises. Party membership recruitment has also not met the set target.

Manufactured at MLB Tenergy Japan Co., Ltd. in Yen Thanh district.

From 2014 to present, the district has admitted 2 business owners and 8 workers into the Party, established 15 mass organizations in private enterprises, including 14 trade unions and 1 youth union; opened 1 Party class for workers in private enterprises located in the district.

Comrade Phan Dinh Dat - Standing Deputy Secretary of Quy Hop District Party Committee explained: "Quy Hop has many enterprises but they are mainly small and micro enterprises, mainly employing unskilled workers, less than 20 people. The economic recession has severely affected production and business, production and business are unstable, over 50% of enterprises in the area have stopped production, many workers have lost their jobs, so developing party members is very difficult. Many business owners focus on production and business, profits, and have not paid attention and are not enthusiastic about developing party members, party organizations, and mass organizations in private enterprises."

The Standing Deputy Secretary of the Quy Hop District Party Committee also admitted: Some grassroots Party committees have not yet deeply recognized the position and importance of developing Party members and Party organizations in private enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises. The work of propaganda, dissemination, legal education and political and ideological education of some grassroots Party committees has not been given due importance; the implementation and concretization of new policies and guidelines of the Party and State, and resolutions of higher levels are still slow and lack specificity...

In Nghia Dan district, after 3 years, only one more branch of the People's Credit Fund of the town has been established under the Party Committee of Nghia Dan town. The admission of private business owners into the Party is also difficult, only one case has been admitted, the owner of Duc Vinh Private Enterprise, Nghia Khanh commune.

Not only that, the target of 30% of private enterprises establishing youth unions and associations as planned is also "out of reach" for Nghia Dan. Up to now, the whole district has only 1 youth union organization belonging to TH Milk Food Joint Stock Company which was established before the project was issued.

Regarding trade union organizations, there are 115 enterprises employing 5 or more employees with long-term contracts, which can establish grassroots trade unions in the enterprise sector. However, by July 2017, only 15 enterprises had established trade unions (accounting for 13.1%), not meeting the plan.

According to the assessment of the Organizing Committee of Nghia Dan District Party Committee, the number of established party organizations and unions and the number of party members, union members and association members admitted in non-state enterprises in the area are still low; the content and methods of operation are still confusing, not meeting the requirements and tasks of party and union building work in the new situation.

The organization of Party cell activities in enterprises has not ensured the quality, content, and discipline of activities; has not demonstrated the leadership, fighting, and education of the Party cell, leading to business owners not seeing the benefits of Party organizations in enterprises.

Not to mention the number of activities to contact and mobilize business owners to establish union organizations and associations is still low, there is still a fear of contact and dialogue. Some grassroots trade union organizations have not done a good job of propagating and thoroughly understanding the Party's policies, the State's laws and policies, and regimes related to workers; the coordination between trade unions and business owners in caring for and protecting the legitimate and legal rights of workers is not tight... which also directly or indirectly "prevents" Nghia Dan from achieving its set plan.

Large units also face difficulties

Even in large units such as the Party Committee of the Enterprise Bloc, 21/78 Party organizations in private enterprises have not yet recruited new Party members; 7 organizations have dissolved due to insufficient number of Party members.

Scene of a meeting at Royal Foods Company Limited - a foreign invested enterprise.

Comrade Thai Khac Thu - Head of the Party Committee of the Enterprise Bloc said: "Approaching the owners of private enterprises and foreign invested enterprises to mobilize the establishment of Party cells is difficult because the Party Committee of the Bloc does not directly manage the enterprises. On the other hand, working hours in enterprises are closed according to labor discipline, some enterprises have 3 shifts of production, workers do not have time to attend training classes for party members and new party members.

The fact that the Party Committee of the Bloc does not have a affiliated trade union organization also makes it difficult to mobilize business owners. In addition, the fact that some party organizations and party members have not fully promoted their roles and responsibilities, and are not exemplary in production activities to develop businesses, is also an inadvertent barrier to mobilizing the establishment of party organizations in businesses.

Referring to the difficulties in developing the Party and Party members in private enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises, the Vinh City Party Committee identified that, in addition to objective factors from the business side, one of the reasons is that Party committees at all levels have not really taken drastic action and have effective solutions. Many units have not really researched and struggled to find solutions to promote Party development in private enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises.

This leads to the fact that in the process of implementing the project, some units are not even aware of the birth of Decree 98/2014/ND-CP dated October 24, 2014 of the Government stipulating that enterprises and economic sectors must establish party organizations and socio-political organizations (right after the promulgation of project 5155). This is an important legal basis to require enterprises to pay attention to this work.

Problems and shortcomings in regulations

According to comrade Dang To Duyet - Deputy Head of the Vinh City Party Committee's Organization Board: In addition to common difficulties, the pilot implementation of admitting party members who are business owners into the party in recent times has not achieved high results.

Because the standards and conditions for this group are quite high (requires a university degree or high school diploma) while the Party's charter only stipulates a secondary school degree or equivalent or higher. On the other hand, according to Instruction No. 17-HD/BTCTW of the Central Organizing Committee, the admission standard for individual business owners must be "elite masses".

However, in reality, to identify outstanding people, there must be comments and evaluations from the organizations of which that person is a member (union members or Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union members), while the instructions for implementing the Vietnam Trade Union Charter clearly state that "those who are not admitted to the trade union organization are: Business owners, Chairman of the Board of Directors, General Directors; Directors... in non-state enterprises". These are shortcomings that the Provincial Party Committee and the Central Organizing Committee need to study and consider resolving.

These difficulties and shortcomings are barriers that need to be quickly removed so that the work of party development in private enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises can be "unblocked" and improve in the coming time.

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