Trade union capital supports workers to overcome difficulties

From small loans to sustainable livelihoods

Ms. Huynh Thi Thanh Tuyen - a union member of the Trade Union of Tam Tri General Hospital (under the Trade Union of Nam Phuoc commune, Da Nang city) is one of the union members who have access to preferential loans from the Trade Union from November 2025 with an amount of 30 million VND, interest rate of 1%/month.

This amount of money has promptly helped me solve many difficulties in life" - Ms. Tuyen said. According to Ms. Tuyen, compared to the outside and the bank, the Trade Union's preferential loan is a loan that is affordable, with appropriate interest rates and stable repayment time.

According to the VGCL, capital support funds have been implemented for 7,878 union members and workers to borrow capital. The value of each contract is commonly from 5 million to 50 million VND, the loan term is from 24 to 36 months, with interest rates lower or relatively competitive compared to many forms of commercial loans.

The capital is used for production, business, job creation, housing repair, purchasing means of living, vocational training, learning support and treatment. Thereby, 3,181 new jobs have been created, mainly in the fields of cultivation, animal husbandry, small-scale production and services; helping borrowers' income increase by an average of 1.5-3 million VND/month.

Bringing capital to the right people, at the right time

Besides the achieved results, capital support funds are facing difficulties after arranging the organizational structure. The area is expanding, the number of grassroots trade unions and workers is increasing, while capital and human resources in some places have not been supplemented accordingly.

Da Nang is a locality with effective disbursement activities, and outstanding capital has not increased. However, the capital support fund in the city is still lacking in human resources, and capital sources have not met the increasing needs of union members and workers.

Another inadequacy is that the old regulations mainly limited the borrowing subjects to poor workers. Meanwhile, many workers have income above the poverty line but are still facing difficulties due to increased housing costs, childcare, medical treatment, and living expenses. If only income is considered, a part that needs support may be removed from the program; conversely, expanding subjects without appraisal and supervision may increase the risk of using capital for the wrong purpose, making it difficult to recover.

According to Dr. Le Thi Thanh Ha - Member of the Standing Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, Deputy Head of the Labor Relations Department, the effectiveness of trade union capital sources needs to be assessed by the ability to substantially improve the lives of workers, not just based on the number of contracts or the total disbursed amount.

It is necessary to prioritize loan options that can create jobs and increase stable income for workers and their families. Loans for housing repair, study or treatment are also of great social security significance. Therefore, the fund should classify loan purposes and develop appropriate evaluation criteria, instead of applying an efficiency measurement method to everyone" - Dr. Le Thi Thanh Ha said.

When each capital is given to the right people, the right needs and used effectively, the capital support fund not only helps workers overcome immediate difficulties, but also opens up the path to creating livelihoods, increasing income and building a stable and long-term life.

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