Comrade Phan Van Anh - Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor: Occupational safety and hygiene must be considered a regular and continuous activity

The 2024 Action Month on Occupational Safety and Hygiene (OSH) has the theme "Strengthening occupational safety and hygiene at the workplace and in the supply chain", held from May 1 to 31, 2024 nationwide to promote and create a clear change in awareness, perception as well as specific actions on ensuring occupational safety and hygiene at the workplace, approaching social responsibility towards consumers and in the supply chain of products, goods and services. On this occasion, Comrade Phan Van Anh, Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, had an interview with reporters (PV) of ATVSLD Magazine about key activities in the Month of Action on ATVSLD.

Reporter: Dear comrade, how has the Vietnam Trade Union concretized its role and responsibility in implementing Directive No. 31-CT/TW dated March 19, 2024 of the Secretariat on continuing to strengthen the Party's leadership in occupational safety and health in the new situation?

Comrade Phan Van Anh: On March 19, 2024, the Secretariat issued Directive No. 31-CT/TW on continuing to strengthen the Party's leadership over occupational safety and health in the new situation, which outlined 7 key tasks and solutions that need to be implemented to achieve the country's socio-economic development goals.

At the same time, it is required to further promote the role of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, socio-political organizations, mass associations, press agencies in mobilizing, propagating, and building a culture of labor safety among members, union members, and people.

To effectively implement the contents of Directive No. 31,CT/TW, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor has directed trade unions at all levels to focus on implementing the following specific tasks: First of all, trade unions at all levels need to thoroughly grasp and grasp the general spirit of the Directive, which is "Ensuring the right of employees to work in occupational safety and health conditions and protecting the legitimate and legal assets, rights and interests of the State, enterprises and individuals"; promoting the responsibility of the head for occupational safety and health, considering this a regular, long-term task of important significance in socio-economic development, ensuring human security, contributing to the sustainable development of enterprises and the country.

Promote the role and responsibility of trade unions at all levels in mobilizing, propagating, building a culture of labor safety among union members and workers; promote dialogue and collective bargaining activities, focusing on wages, bonuses, working hours, rest hours, ensuring occupational safety and health and working conditions, associated with concretizing the breakthrough in the Resolution of the 13th Congress of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor.

Strengthen the leadership and direction of the Presidium, Executive Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, Standing Committees, and Executive Committees of trade unions at all levels for occupational safety and health; allocate appropriate resources for propaganda, training, coaching and inspection and supervision of compliance with occupational safety and health laws.

Innovate and improve the effectiveness of the emulation movement on occupational safety and health, especially the movement "Green - Clean - Beautiful, Ensuring occupational safety and health". Consolidate, improve and improve the effectiveness of occupational safety and hygiene so that occupational safety and hygiene become the core in occupational safety and health activities at the facility.

Innovating the form of organization of activities in response to the Month of Action on occupational safety and health every year. Promote research and application of science and technology on occupational safety and health to improve working conditions, minimize occupational accidents and diseases for employees in enterprises; propose to supplement the list of arduous, toxic, dangerous jobs and occupational diseases that are entitled to social insurance; train engineers and masters on occupational safety and health to provide human resources for occupational safety and health for the trade union system, state management agencies and enterprises.

PV: So what is the new point of this year's Month of Action on occupational safety and health, comrade?

Comrade Phan Van Anh: Implementing Decision No. 87/QD-TTg dated January 12, 2016 of the Prime Minister on organizing the Month of Action on occupational safety and health every year, on the basis of summarizing and evaluating the results of organizing the Month of Action on occupational safety and health last year, the Central Steering Committee for the Month of Action on occupational safety and health has developed a Plan to implement the Month of Action on occupational safety and health in May every year with a different theme and activities to suit the practical situation.

This year, the theme of the Month of Action on occupational safety and health is "Strengthening occupational safety and health assurance at the workplace and in the supply chain". This is a fairly new topic with the message that in the current context, the products of this unit can be the input of another unit; the units and enterprises not only operate independently but have mutual relationships throughout the supply chain, especially for export goods.

Promoting and raising awareness of occupational safety and health responsibility requires an approach to improve the social responsibility of consumers, customers and all businesses in the supply chain. In addition to activities that are similar to previous years, such as: Organizing propaganda on the purpose and significance of the Month of Action on occupational safety and health; sharing good models and effective practices in occupational safety and health work; coordinating the organization of the Launching Ceremony of the Month of Action on occupational safety and health and Workers' Month; visiting families and victims of occupational accidents and diseases; organizing inspection, inspection and supervision teams on occupational safety and health...

The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor also launched an online contest to learn about occupational safety and health nationwide; organized seminars and talks on occupational safety and health at the central level; in localities and sectors, based on actual conditions, there will be separate action plans to care for and better ensure the rights of union members and workers.

Reporter: To respond to the Month of Action on occupational safety and health with the highest efficiency, according to him, what should trade unions at all levels, especially industrial parks, economic zones, and export processing zones, do?

Comrade Phan Van Anh: Trade unions at all levels where there are many industrial parks, export processing zones, and a large concentration of workers directly involved in production need to have more practical activities and do a better job of caring for, representing, protecting the health and safety of workers.

Party committees, professionals, enterprises, and employees must consider occupational safety and health as a regular, continuous activity that must not be neglected, in which activities in response to the Month of Action on occupational Safety and Health are a peak period in communication, training to raise awareness and compliance with the law on occupational safety and health of enterprises.

To achieve the highest efficiency in the 2024 Labor Safety and Hygiene Action Month, trade unions at all levels need to closely coordinate with professionals, business leaders and functional agencies in the following activities: Promote information and propaganda activities on occupational safety and hygiene to businesses, union members and employees in many diverse and easy-to-understand forms, spreading to many employees.

Organize visits, encourage and share difficulties with families and victims of work-related accidents and occupational diseases. Regularly organize training and fostering knowledge and skills on occupational safety and health for grassroots union officials and occupational safety and hygiene in enterprises.

Strengthen inspection and supervision of compliance with labor safety laws, focusing on labor safety training; organize periodic health check-ups and occupational diseases for union members and employees; organize labor environment monitoring; organize labor conferences; organize dialogues, negotiations, and sign collective labor agreements that are more beneficial to employees than those prescribed by law; organize reviewing, amending or issuing new plans, rules, processes, and measures for safe work; organize self-inspection and risk assessment at the workplace.

Reporter: Sincerely thank you, comrade!