Resolution of the first National Trade Union Congress

JOINT RESOLUTION

I

After studying and thoroughly discussing President Ho Chi Minh's instructions and resolutions of the World Labor Congress in Milan, the Asian and Australian Trade Union Conferences in Beijing with the directives of the World Federation of Trade Unions, the 1st National Trade Union Congress of Vietnam.

He warmly welcomed the instructions of the supreme leader of the nation and class to fulfill the leadership duties of the working class in the resistance war, national construction and in the cause of building people's democracy in Vietnam.

Enthusiastically welcome the direction of the LHCĐ world in the struggle against all plots to divide workers and wage war by international reactionaries to protect peaceful democracy for the world.

The Congress resolved to comply with the instructions of President Ho Chi Minh, comply with the resolutions of the World Federation of Trade Unions and entrust all levels of Trade Unions to strive to fulfill the historical tasks of the Vietnamese working class.

II

The first National Trade Union Congress was very pleased to see that since the establishment of the General Confederation, the Executive Agencies of the General Confederation have operated in accordance with the purpose and principles set by the 1946 General Confederation Establishment Conference and have followed the guidelines of President Ho Chi Minh and the World Federation of Trade Unions.

1) The Congress approved the continuous activities of the General Confederation that have led Vietnamese workers to actively participate in the common struggle of world workers.

- Against the anti-democratic and trade unionist actions of international reactionaries, against the ruins of fascism, militarism, feudalism in Spain, Greece, Japan, West Germany, etc.

- Supporting the struggles of world labor, especially French workers and Gia-nã-đại workers.

- Activities in response to the movement to fight for world peace.

- Timely sending delegates out to operate and participate in world trade union conferences, tightening the relationship between the world labor struggle movement and the Vietnamese labor struggle movement.

- The Congress praised the Executive Committee of the General Confederation and Trade Union levels nationwide for enthusiastically leading Vietnamese labor to volunteer to fight and achieve many achievements on all fronts: military, political, production, and economic sabotage against the enemy.

- The working class participated in a large number of armed fighters on all fronts on the front lines and right in the enemy's heart.

Thanks to the skillful direction of the General Confederation, Vietnamese workers have overcome all difficulties to build a national defense industry, develop national technology industries, implement self-sufficiency for the whole people, and lay the foundation for a national industry in the future.

- The Congress praised and acknowledged the merits of labor production and combat soldiers, trade union organizations and laborers nationwide in the enemy's temporarily occupied area, especially workers and the Saigon Trade Union Union, Cho Lon Trade Union, Southern Rubber Trade Union who fought bravely and thoroughly destroyed the enemy's economy, smashing the French enemy's plot to use war to feed war.

2) The Congress was pleased to see that despite the difficult circumstances of the resistance war, the direction agencies of the General Confederation in recent years have made timely efforts to rectify the Trade Union organization, unify and develop the movement, making the organization of Vietnamese workers have a solid foundation as it is today. Specific methods have been implemented to effectively implement the improvement of labor activities in both spirit and material terms. The major emulations set out by the General Confederation have promoted the progressive workers' movement in all aspects.

III

The Congress found that after the Second Great War, the World's Democratic Forces developed beyond expectations.

- The Soviet Union built socialism quickly, the influence and prestige of the Soviet Union became increasingly large, causing international reactionaries to fear.

- Thanks to the help of the Socialist country, people's democratic countries led by the working class strongly developed people's democracy and achieved many brilliant achievements and national construction.

- The great victory of the Chinese revolution is a great victory of the world democratic movement, and at the same time a heavy failure of the international reactionary.

- The movement to fight for true independence of sub-ethnic groups is increasingly rising, shaking the dominance of imperialism in the colonies.

- The movement for democracy and peace of all classes of people around the world against the conspiracy to wage war and the US reactionary's policy of world enslavement is becoming larger and larger.

- The anti-democratic faction is increasingly collapsing and becoming more and more reactionary.

- The economic crisis is very serious in the British, French, Italian, Dutch empire countries, etc. In these countries, living costs are increasingly expensive, wages cannot keep up with commodity prices, unemployment is increasing, and the currencies of Marxist-Leninist countries in Europe are depreciating, especially the British pound and French Buddha's Grail.

- The American Empire, the reactionary boss who got rich in World War II, was also deeply in crisis, the world market was shrinking, goods were unsold, the number of workers had to decline, the number of unemployed workers increased rapidly, so many strikes of millions of workers occurred continuously right in the United States.

- The US is plotting to disrupt the world economy by issuing a Marxist-Leninist plan to sell goods, seeking to solve its crisis, and enslaving impoverished capitalist countries in Western Europe.

American reactionaries also plotted a third war to dominate the world, increase atomic bomb production, extend military service, establish the Western European bloc, plot to establish the Mediterranean and Pacific blocs, bribe the Tito opportunists, sell weapons and use reactionary henchmen in the colonies to besiege the Soviet Union and suppress the craftsman movement, the World Democracy movement and the movements of the colonies.

IV

The Congress found that after World War II, Soviet workers and workers of People's Democratic Republics made efforts to build the nation, and the industry of these countries developed strongly, and the labor life was increasingly improved in all aspects.

On the contrary, in capitalist countries, workers are brutally exploited, they narrow democratic rights, deprive many labor rights. The lives of workers in these countries are very deprived, wages cannot keep up with living costs. Unemployment is spreading, they are suppressing the workers' struggle movement more and more fiercely. On the other hand, they bribe reactionary leaders of trade unions in England, the United States and the "workers' force" in France to distort the trade union's operating guidelines and plot to break the organization of workers and the World Federation of Trade Unions.

In colonial and semicolonial countries, the lives of craftsmen became increasingly miserable and the repression of reactionaries became increasingly fierce.

Before the current world labor movement, the Congress decided: The Vietnamese working class must be more active in joining forces with the world labor force to fight for class unity, in the ranks of the World Trade Union Federation to participate in the movement to protect peace, fight against the plot to divide workers and boatmen, and all anti-trade union actions to protect the rights of world labor and the peaceful democracy of humanity.

V

The Congress commented that the current war of aggression by the French colonialists is paving the way for US tycoons to reach out to Vietnam to plot to turn Vietnam into a position against the world democratic movement and national liberation in Asia; The resistance war of the Vietnamese people was strongly supported by laborers and world democratic forces.

Due to the greed of the French colonialists, French youth and youth of French colonial areas had to be used as bullet shields for them on the Vietnamese battlefields, due to the great victory of the Chinese liberation army, the remnants of the Chinese Nationalist Party colluded with the French colonialists to invade and harass the Vietnamese people.

In the three years of national resistance, Vietnamese soldiers and people bravely fought over all difficulties, achieving many decisive victories, and are now urgently moving towards the stage of the General Offensive.

Vietnamese labor with a large proportion and combat achievements in the ranks of the National Army and the Vietnamese People's Army with achievements in destroying the enemy's economy in the temporarily occupied area, with achievements in inventions, production, transportation, communication, construction and protection of enterprises, etc. in the free zone, contributed a lot of effort to the long-term resistance war.

The Congress decided that in the current situation, Vietnamese workers must urgently:

- Strengthen production capacity in all aspects;

- Enhance the destructive power to paralyze the enemy's economy;

- Promote the people's war;

- Closely coordinate with French workers and Chinese labor colonies;

- Together with the entire people, quickly move into the phase of the General Offensive to sweep away the water invaders from the borders, destroy their factions and henchmen, and move towards complete victory.

VI

The Congress commented that the August Revolution led by the working class overthrew the domination and henchmen of the French imperialists in Vietnam, the people's democratic government brought many practical benefits to the working class and people and is leading the entire people in the victorious resistance war to gain complete independence for the Fatherland and build a people's democratic regime in Vietnam.

Vietnamese workers who want to completely liberate themselves must take the lead in the resistance and national construction.

The Congress resolved:

- Strictly adhere to the resistance government led by President Ho Chi Minh.

- Dismantle all puppet governments of French colonial henchmen.

- Actively consolidate the people's government.

- Actively build a strong people's army.

- Develop a commission-management regime for workers to participate in the commission-management.

VII

The Congress realized that: colonial aggression was a policy of dividing the nation, dividing factions, religions, and North and South. Before that conspiracy, the revolutionary policy of the working class was the great national unity to win and has made the entire people's resistance increasingly strong. The Congress decided that: Trade unions must truly be the basic organization of the national unification front of Viet-Minh, Lien-Viet, must closely link with the Farm-Association and mass organizations in the front to destroy the French and reactionary invaders, and build a people's democracy.

VIII

The Congress commented that in the struggle for national liberation and building a people's democratic regime. Farmers are a fundamental force and direct allies of the working class.

The two Trade Union and Farmers' Salvation organizations are the pillar organizations of the National United Front in the resistance war against French colonialism and are the fundamental force in building a people's democratic economy.

The Congress decided:

- Helping farmers improve farming techniques, improve agricultural tools to establish agricultural cooperatives.

- Activities to support policies to reduce rents, reduce dividends, and temporarily allocate confiscated land from French and Vietnamese colonialists to farmers.

- Helping Farmers study culture and politics.

IX

The Congress assessed that the French colonial regime had left the Vietnamese people with a backward and ruined economy.

Vietnamese laborers and people since taking power have built a new foundation of democratic economy, providing needs for the resistance war and people's lives.

To completely liberate the class, Vietnamese workers must be the pillar force in building a people's democratic economy.

The Congress resolved:

- Efforts to build the national economy, increase production to supply for the resistance war and improve people's lives, especially focusing on defense industry.

- Develop cooperative economy.

X

The Congress recognized that the political, economic, and social rights of workers and people of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos are very close to each other. The struggle against French colonialism of the three nations cannot be separated, the mutual assistance between workers and people of Vietnam and Laos is very necessary. That mutual assistance needs to be promoted more strongly to fulfill the task of resistance to build the national economy of each nation, the Congress decided that the General Confederation, Trade Union levels, and the entire Vietnamese working class must actively help workers and the Mean Lao revolution operate more strongly.

XI

The Congress commented that Vietnamese workers overseas have a strong patriotic spirit and a fierce fighting spirit for the independence of the Fatherland. In the past time, Vietnamese workers overseas have had close contact with the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor. That close contact must be further promoted by all means.

- The General Confederation must always help with domestic operating documents and experiences for Vietnamese workers overseas.

- Monitoring and assisting the struggles of Vietnamese trade unions abroad, in protecting labor rights, protecting independence for the Fatherland and protecting democratic peace and peace for humanity.

XII

The Congress found that: In the process of struggle, the organization of the working class has transformed into many very flexible forms of organization, suitable for the circumstances and tasks in each revolutionary period of the nation, thanks to which, through many fierce terrorist attacks by the French imperialists, the class's organization has still been maintained and is increasingly stronger.

The General Confederation has been consolidated and strongly developed since its establishment and has joined the great family of the World Federation of Trade Unions.

In the past three years of resistance war, the trade union has increased significantly in number. Despite difficult circumstances, the leadership communication between levels was relatively close, and all aspects of work were expanded. In the enemy's temporarily occupied area, the trade union organization grew and became solid through the struggles against the enemy.

The Congress found that: to fully perform the tasks set out by the World Federation of Trade Unions, the working guidelines set by the congress must actively build a truly strong Trade Union organization, which means:

- Rectify the organizational system, consolidate and develop vertical industry trade unions.

- Strengthening grassroots trade unions

- Widely develop the intellectual labor force into the Trade Union.

- Strongly develop and firmly grasp the enemy's temporarily occupied area.

- Resolutely amend working styles and improve qualifications for officials and union members.

- Close contact, report to superiors.

- Actively help Mean and Lao workers build and develop grassroots facilities.

XIII

The Congress noted that although in the resistance situation due to the care of the Government and organizations due to the self-improvement movement of workers, the lives of workers were gradually improved.

But the resistance war was not completely victorious, so the class still had to endure hardships. The Congress decided that the Executive Committee of the General Confederation and trade union levels should promote the improvement of the lives of workers, organize and develop workers' cooperatives, and on the other hand, focus on helping workers improve themselves to alleviate the difficulties of the class during the resistance war, gradually moving towards a broader labor regime, when the resistance war was victorious.

Regarding culture, currently, most workers concentrated in free-zone enterprises escape illiteracy.

The arts movement in the factory was booming and developing. Workers in the enemy's temporarily occupied area were not educated. However, the level of workers in general was still low in all aspects.

The Congress resolved that trade union levels must pay attention to educating and improving the political, cultural, and professional qualifications of free zone workers. Especially in culture, eradicating illiteracy that is still scattered, taking primary school level as a training standard for workers, guiding and leading the workers' arts and culture movement in workshops, the Trade Union must regularly open short-term training classes in workshops.

For temporarily occupied areas, trade union levels must have a plan to combat the enemy's stupid culture policy, and at the same time find every way to help workers study.

XIV

The Congress noted that: The Vietnamese working class has achieved many achievements through patriotic emulation and therefore the level of organization, politics, culture, and expertise of workers is constantly improving.

Many businesses have surpassed the production program. Many items have been invented to replace foreign goods. Labor heroes appear in every industry.

The Trade Union base in the enemy area was developed and consolidated more firmly.

The specific results above on emulation have contributed a very large part to the resistance war for national construction in recent years. But in general, in the process of emulation, trade union levels as well as workers still have many shortcomings such as: the concept of Emulation is not correct, not closely coordinating with specialized sectors in organizing and encouraging workers to emulate, the statistical summary and dissemination of emulation experience has not been done thoroughly. These shortcomings need to be overcome.

To fulfill the tasks of work in the phase of moving towards the General Offensive and preparing for construction, the Congress decided: Trade union levels must strive to mobilize and guide all Vietnamese workers to try harder in the Patriotic Emulation programs.

Excerpt from the book "Vietnamese Trade Union from the 1st to the 10th Congress" by Lao Dong Publishing House.