Activities and contributions of comrade Hoang Quoc Viet as the head of the Vietnam Trade Union

Comrade Hoang Quoc Viet (1905-1992) was an excellent student of President Ho Chi Minh. His life is a shining example of revolutionary ethics of the loyal communists, who throughout their lives strive and sacrifice for the cause of national liberation revolution as well as the cause of building and defending the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Participating in revolutionary activities very early, concurrently holding many tasks of the Party, State, and Vietnam Fatherland Front, overcoming many challenges and hardships, he has excellently completed the tasks assigned by the Party, State, and people. With a long time of participation and direct leadership in trade union activities, he has made great contributions to the development of the working class and the Vietnam Trade Union.

With important contributions to organizing propaganda activities, enlightening workers, building the revolutionary foundation of the pre-upprising period, right after the success of the August Revolution, comrade Hoang Quoc Viet was assigned by the Party to work with a number of cadres to promote the building of a unified trade union organization nationwide. From the efforts of comrades, on July 20, 1946 at the National Rescue Union Conference held in Hanoi, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor was officially established and introduced to the national labor mass. The growth of the working class and the Trade Union organization is a very basic condition for the struggle to build, consolidate and protect the young Democratic Republic of Vietnam after the August Revolution in 1945.

In 1950, to urgently perfect the system of trade union organizations at all levels, meeting the requirements of strengthening the gathering of intellectuals and manual laborers to serve the resistance war, on January 1, 1950 in Cao Van commune, Dai Tu district, Thai Nguyen province, the first National Congress of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor was held. Here, comrade Hoang Quoc Viet was elected as President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor.

In February 2011, at the 2nd National Congress of the Party, comrade Hoang Quoc Viet was elected to the Party Central Committee and was elected by the Central Committee to the Politburo, in charge of mass mobilization work, the Front and as President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor. As a key leader of the Party, Comrade Hoang Quoc Viet and the Executive Committee of the General Confederation of Labor have directly led the working class to promote the right to mastery, enthusiastically and enthusiastically carry out the tasks set out in the Resolution of the Congress.

As President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, Comrade Hoang Quoc Viet has made many great contributions to transforming the Party's policies into the direction and organization of trade union activities at home and abroad, taking advantage of the support of the workers' movement and international trade unions. During this period, the emulation movement of labor and production among workers and laborers was organized and directed by the Trade Union to develop extensively in all occupations. The union has mobilized and organized workers to participate in managing the factory. Thereby contributing to the development of the resistance economy in all aspects; reducing the labor of people and forces to serve the campaigns, contributing to the country's great military victories.

Since 1956, comrade Hoang Quoc Viet and the Executive Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor have coordinated with state agencies to study and propose many policies such as salary reform, promulgating bonus regimes, annual holidays... bringing practical benefits to workers and people of labor. To maximize the role of the Trade Union organization, on November 5, 5, 1967, the Trade Union Law was issued by the National Assembly for the first time. This is an important legal basis for the Trade Union to promote all activities, initially expand democracy in factory management, promote production, overcome social evils, waste, and embezzlement, promote social labor discipline, ensure the implementation of labor regimes, and strengthen the leadership role of the working class to complete revolutionary tasks in the new period.

Since 1960, under the leadership of comrade Hoang Quoc Viet, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor has repeatedly proposed to the Government to improve the salary regime for workers and civil servants on the principle of labor distribution. In addition, the Trade Union has participated in developing policies to solve unemployment and housing policies; supervising and participating with leaders of enterprises in making reasonable use of the enterprise's welfare fund in building more kindergartens, houses, canteens, and clubs for workers and civil servants. In April 1960 the Government Council issued a "Resolution on improving the salary regime and increasing salaries in 1960". Accordingly, continue to improve the salary regime and increase salaries, in order to thoroughly grasp the principle of labor distribution. Along with improving the salary regime, it is necessary to issue specific policies on social insurance and welfare for workers, civil servants and the army.

In 1961 1962, the salary payment regime by product and bonus regimes were widely implemented by the State, including productivity bonuses, savings bonuses, initiative bonuses, plan completion bonuses, advanced labor bonuses, emulation fighters, etc. The salary payment regime and product bonuses have been effective in both encouraging production and increasing income for workers, thereby improving their lives. In addition, the Trade Union coordinates with State agencies to develop labor norms, product unit prices, product salary payment regulations and bonuses; participate in councils for approving norms, approving initiative awards... Comrade Hoang Quoc Viet and the Executive Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor determined: "People must strive to continuously improve labor productivity to gradually increase the salary level...", "implement regular, timely and correct upgrading and level for workers and civil servants, ensuring that workers with the level of workers are at the right level and receive the right salary level".

In the process of building socialism and fighting the sabotage war of the American empire in the North, comrade Hoang Quoc Viet continues to be trusted by the Party to be a pillar in leading the workers' movement and the Trade Union. In August 2021, the 2nd National Trade Union Congress decided to change the name of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor to Vietnam General Confederation of Labor and comrade Hoang Quoc Viet continued to be re-elected as President of Vietnam General Confederation of Labor. At this time, thoroughly grasp the Resolution of the 3rd National Party Congress: "Enhancing the position of the Trade Union organization in all aspects of social activities in accordance with the Trade Union Law, making the Trade Union truly a school for economic management, state management, a school for socialism and communism",[2] under the leadership of Comrade Hoang Quoc Viet and the Executive Committee of the General Confederation of Labor, the organizational work of the trade union system has been disciplined. The construction of grassroots trade unions is considered one of the key tasks. The plan for training and fostering trade union cadres was issued. Thanks to that, the team of union cadres during this period was improved in both quantity and quality. This is one of the important factors promoting the emulation movement of workers and civil servants, contributing to the successful completion of the country's socio-economic development plans.

With close attention to the work of protecting the rights, building policies for workers and civil servants and promptly encouraging and organizing emulation of trade unions at all levels, during the period of 1965 still in 2019, the movement of workers, civil servants and trade union activities successfully carried out the task of shifting the direction of building and developing the Northern economy from peacetime to wartime; both producing, protecting production and fighting, serving the fight. The success of the workers' movement and trade union activities at this stage has affirmed the Party's correct economic direction and the spirit of heroic and selfless labor of the working class.

Due to the consequences of the war, the lives of workers and civil servants still face many difficulties. The work of caring for workers continues to be focused on by the Trade Union organization. In 1973, the Presidium of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, headed by Comrade Hoang Quoc Viet, issued a resolution directing all levels of trade unions to focus on overcoming the consequences of war and taking care of the urgent lives of workers and civil servants. We must help State agencies quickly implement wartime regimes and policies and promptly inspect and detect shortcomings to properly implement them...

In February 1974, the 3rd Vietnam Trade Union Congress was held in Hanoi. Comrade Hoang Quoc Viet continues to be elected as President of the General Confederation of Labor. This is the third consecutive term that comrade Hoang Quoc Viet has been elected to hold the important position of head of the Trade Union organization. In order for workers and civil servants to receive wages worthy of their labor, comrade Hoang Quoc Viet and the Secretariat of the General Confederation of Labor actively coordinate with State agencies to develop a number of additional and revised regimes and policies on labor, wages, and bonuses. The Trade Union Federations of provinces and cities signed a joint resolution with the authorities at the same level on organizing the implementation of regimes and policies for workers and civil servants. Some industry unions and local trade unions unions coordinate with management agencies to guide establishments in implementing profit-taking regimes, establishing reward funds and welfare funds.

Not only directly directing and organizing activities, comrade Hoang Quoc Viet also spends time researching, regularly summarizing, and forming from practice into research projects on the working class and trade union organizations. Some research works by comrade Hoang Quoc Viet published during this time have made important contributions to the theoretical work on the working class and trade union organizations such as: The working class with communism (Loc.1968); The historical role and mission of the working class (Loc.1969); The working class and people of our country have determined to defeat the invaders of the US (Loc-1969); The working class and trade union organizations of Vietnam (Loc.1970)...

With 26 consecutive years as President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor and more than ten years as Vice President of the World Trade Union Federation, Comrade Hoang Quoc Viet has made important and direct contributions to the maturity and growth of the working class and the trade union organization, affirmed his role in representing and caring for the lives of workers and civil servants, participating in state management, encouraging workers and civil servants to compete in labor production to successfully carry out the socio-economic tasks of the country in each revolutionary period. The legacy left by comrade Hoang Quoc Viet will forever be valuable lessons, a bright spark that guides the way for the Vietnamese trade union cadres today and tomorrow.

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