Bringing culture closer to workers

Caring for spiritual life is a practical need

On October 22, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour issued Guidance No. 19/HD-TLĐ on organizing the Workers' Culture Day in trade union levels, responding to Vietnam Culture Day and the National Unity Day every year. Following that, on October 23, the General Confederation announced the plan to organize the Workers' Culture Day at the General Confederation level in 2026. According to the deployment orientation, activities focus on culture, arts, sports and create conditions for union members and workers to participate, experience, and enjoy cultural values suitable to practical needs.

Responding to this policy, recently, the Khanh Hoa Provincial Labor Federation said that it has implemented a plan to organize activities to celebrate Vietnam Culture Day November 24 among union members and workers in the area. Accordingly, trade union levels in the province will organize cultural, artistic, and sports activities; promote the cultural image and people of Khanh Hoa, and at the same time promote communication in the digital environment. The peak propaganda period takes place from November 16 to 26, with the requirement that activities must be practical, effective, safe, economical and suitable to the conditions of each agency, unit, and enterprise.

The policy of the General Confederation of Labour and the plan to be implemented in Khanh Hoa and many localities show that caring for the cultural and spiritual life of workers is being concerned by trade union levels with specific activities. This is also an opportunity to fully recognize the legitimate needs of workers in today's life.

For a long time, when mentioning caring for workers, people often think first of salaries, bonuses, jobs, housing, insurance and material welfare policies. These issues are very important, because they are directly related to the lives of each worker family. However, workers also have the need to rest, entertain, enjoy art, participate in sports, socialize and develop personal hobbies.

In fact, in many industrial parks, many workers still face difficulties in accessing cultural activities. After working hours, the time spent for themselves and their families is not much. Limited income makes buying tickets to see art performances, participate in entertainment activities or take children to cultural spaces a must consider expense. In some worker dormitories, community living space is still lacking, while cultural and sports facilities, although invested, are not convenient for workers to use everywhere.

Therefore, the National Assembly's regulation that November 24th every year is Vietnam Culture Day, employees are entitled to leave work and receive full salary, is of practical significance. This policy not only creates more rest time but also opens up opportunities for employees to participate in cultural activities and improve the quality of spiritual life.

Promoting the role of trade unions

However, having one more day off does not mean that all workers have conditions to enjoy culture. For low-income people, participating in cultural activities also depends on costs, locations, means of transportation and family living conditions. Therefore, if Vietnam Culture Day really has meaning for workers, it is necessary to pay attention to specific conditions to help them access cultural activities more conveniently.

The Trade Union organization has many advantages to contribute to solving this problem, because grassroots trade unions are a close place, regularly grasping the thoughts, aspirations and living conditions of union members and workers. From that understanding, trade union levels can choose cultural activities suitable for each group of workers, instead of organizing similar programs in all agencies and businesses.

For example, at businesses with a large number of young workers, music, sports or creative cultural content exchange activities can be organized on a digital platform. For businesses with many married workers, programs for both parents and children will create more opportunities to connect members. As for boarding houses with a large concentration of migrant workers, community activities and regional cultural exchanges can help workers feel closer to where they live.

In addition to directly organizing activities, trade unions can also promote the role of connecting with businesses, cultural agencies, art units and local authorities. Through this coordination, workers can access performance programs, reading spaces, sports activities, heritage visits or cultural experiences at a more affordable cost. At the same time, trade unions can propose that businesses pay attention to arranging collective living locations, building a friendly working environment and creating conditions for workers to develop their spiritual lives.

Further, Vietnam Culture Day is also an opportunity for the Trade Union organization to review the operational efficiency of cultural institutions serving workers. If cultural activities are only vibrant for a few days of response and then sparse for the rest of the time, the goal of improving the spiritual life of workers will be difficult to achieve long-term results. Therefore, the Workers' Culture Festival is also an opportunity for trade union levels to pay attention to building periodic cultural activities, developing art and sports clubs, reading spaces and community activities suitable to the conditions of each locality and enterprise.

Vietnam Culture Day only takes place one day a year, but the need to enjoy culture of workers is a regular need. Therefore, the long-term meaning of the Workers' Culture Day is not only in the vibrant atmosphere of response programs, but also in the opportunities opened up after the festival. When culture becomes a close part of workers' daily lives, the care of the Trade Union organization will be more comprehensive, practical and contribute to improving the quality of life of workers.

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