Direct dialogue - the real benefits of Trade Union innovation in negotiation

Harmonious benefits, shared risks

Discussing the actual negotiation to sign the Collective Labor Agreement (CLA), Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thang - Chairman of the Trade Union of High-Tech Parks and Industrial Parks (HTC&IPs) of Hanoi City said that the purpose of production and business activities is to create profit for businesses; while Profit = Revenue - Expenditures (therefore businesses always seek ways to reduce costs). In negotiations, if both sides win together, it will be sustainable, building harmonious, stable and progressive labor relations in enterprises, promoting sustainable business development. The valuable experience that Mr. Thang has gained from the time he directly dialogue and negotiates to sign collective labor agreements in places where grassroots trade unions have not been established according to the provisions of the Labor Code in 2012 is how to solve the problem of how to increase labor productivity higher than increase costs. Mr. Thang explained that this is the way to make the "profit cake" of a business grow up to enjoy more.

At that time, during the process of working with business leaders, Mr. Thang often discussed that if business leaders increase wages for employees, it is to motivate employees to increase labor productivity, improve product quality, compensate for the increase in the CPI, and at the same time share difficulties with employees, keeping employees attached to the business. That means retaining employees through policy mechanisms...

The cost-cutting savings plan applied by businesses is not optimal because of low labor productivity, low product quality, and workers moving to other businesses with better salary and benefits... while recruiting workers in industrial parks is not easy. In order for the grassroots trade unions to do a good job of negotiating and signing collective labor agreements with provisions higher than the law, the higher-level trade unions have focused on guiding and supporting the grassroots trade unions by hand-holding the negotiation of wages, bonuses, allowances, subsidies, working conditions, etc.

The most effective way, according to Mr. Thang, is to support by holding hands and pointing the work. For example, choosing the time to conduct a negotiation dialogue; having to choose the time when many orders and companies organize overtime to ensure delivery, but not negotiating on salary increases during the period of unemployment... What is more beneficial than what the law stipulates is then included in the signing to ensure a concise and quality collective labor agreement...

At the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union, the 6th Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union was signed between the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union and the Vietnam Textile and Garment Association. In addition to maintaining the provisions established in the 5th Industry Collective Labor Agreement on minimum income, salary scale, allowance regime, bonus, working hours, rest and regulations on ensuring the maintenance and improvement of the achieved regimes, the 6th Industry Collective Labor Agreement has increased the level and determined the specific salary level for a number of regimes and policies established from the 5th Industry Collective Labor Agreement, including: Increasing the salary for shift meals by 2,000 VND/meal/house; giving gifts to female workers on March 8 and October 20 every year at a minimum of 50,000 VND/person/time. Establishing a new welfare regime is to support employees raising children under 36 months old with a minimum of VND 50,000/person/month.

With changes to adapt to new requirements, dialogue and collective bargaining work is of interest in both quantity and quality. In 2025, 1,530 new collective labor agreements will be signed, and 3,704 collective labor agreements will be amended, supplemented, and re-signed. The content focuses on the things and items that are beneficial, higher than the provisions of law, focusing on the content of salary, bonus, bonus according to the ratio of beneficial value of initiatives, technical improvements, useful topics, solutions, working hours, rest hours, shift meals, and occupational safety and hygiene. There are more than 1,000 trade unions in the enterprise proposing and negotiating with employers to adjust the value of shift meals. One of the main targets in the 2026 Trade Union work program is to dialogue and negotiate with employers to adjust the value of shift meals in 1,625 enterprises according to the level prescribed in Conclusion No. 03/KL-BCH dated January 18, 2022 of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor on continuing to implement Resolution No. 7c/NQ-BCH dated February 25, 2016 on "Quality of shift meals for employees".

Rights protected by law

In the program "Improving the effectiveness of dialogue and collective bargaining in the period of 2023 - 2028" of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, there is a goal that at least 83% of enterprises and units with trade unions that meet the conditions prescribed by law will be negotiated by trade unions and sign collective labor agreements according to the provisions of law; collective labor agreements cover at least 85% of the total number of employees in enterprises and units with trade unions in the entire system. At least 50% of collective labor agreements signed or signed by trade unions are classified as having quality of type B or higher...

It can be seen that the rights of workers have been protected by the provisions of the law developed by the Trade Union organization. The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor has actively and proactively participated in giving opinions on the development of 39 draft laws, resolutions, decrees, and circulars directly related to the legitimate rights and interests of union members, workers, and trade union organizations. Focus on researching and participating with the Vietnam Fatherland Front and mass organizations in proposing the content of amending and supplementing a number of provisions of the 2013 Constitution related to trade union organizations, coordinating the development and completion of the Law dossier amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on the Fatherland Front, the Law on Trade Unions, the Law on Youth and the Law on Implementing Democracy at the Grassroots Level to submit to the National Assembly for approval at the ninth session, thereby institutionalizing the policy of arranging and streamlining the organization of the political system while continuing to promote the role of trade union organizations in the new development stage.

Actively and responsibly participate in the National Wage Council, propose to the Government to regulate the increase in regional minimum wages for employees from January 1, 2026 with an average increase of 7.2%, contributing to ensuring the minimum living standard for employees; actively research and coordinate to propose to the Government to issue a Resolution on policies and regimes for subjects affected by the implementation of the reorganization of the apparatus and administrative units at all levels according to Conclusion 183-KL/TW dated August 1, 2025 of the Politburo and the Secretariat, including subjects who are union officials. Trade unions at all levels actively participate in building and implementing democracy at the grassroots level, contributing to promoting the mastery of union members and employees. There are 15,911 trade unions of public service units and state-owned enterprises participating in promulgating grassroots democracy regulations, 30,920 enterprises and units outside the state sector participating in promulgating grassroots democracy regulations.

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