Resolution of the VIII Vietnam Trade Union Congress

The Congress listened to the Political Report of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (VII term), the speech of Comrade General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam Le Kha Phieu, the speech of Standing Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and the speech of Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Le Quang Dao. The Congress discussed and unanimously approved the Political Report and revised Charter of the Vietnam Trade Union, considering them as orientations to continue innovating the organization and content of trade union activities in the coming years.

The Congress affirmed: In the past 5 years, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the renovation process has continued to achieve many great achievements, including the worthy contribution of the working class and the Vietnam Trade Union organization. Faced with all difficulties and challenges, our country's workers, civil servants, and laborers have shown firm political bravery, trust and determination to implement the renovation policy initiated and led by the Party, striving to rise in labor production and work, in studying and scientific research, literary and artistic creation... ; playing a decisive role in promoting socio-economic development of the country, maintaining political stability, national defense and security, worthy of being the revolutionary leadership class, the core force, leading the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country for the goal of "Rich people, strong country, fair and civilized society". The position of the Trade Union organization in society has gradually been raised.

The Congress pointed out the limitations of the contingent of workers, civil servants, and laborers, and at the same time criticized the negative manifestations, which are not suitable for the revolutionary nature and pioneering and exemplary nature of the working class in a part of cadres, workers, civil servants, and laborers, and pointed out the shortcomings of the Trade Union organization in the past term, especially in participating in policy making and protecting the legitimate and legal interests of workers, civil servants, and laborers. The Congress elected the Executive Committee of the VIII General Confederation of Labour, including 145 comrades. The Executive Committee elected the Presidium of 17 comrades. Comrade Cu Thi Hau, Member of the Party Central Committee, was elected to hold the position of President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour. Comrades Nguyen An Luong, Dang Ngoc Chien, Do Duc Ngo, Nguyen Dinh Thang were elected to hold the position of Vice President of the General Confederation of Labour. The Congress also elected the Inspection Committee of the VIII General Confederation of Labour

With a deep awareness of the role and responsibility of the Trade Union organization in the face of the requirements and interests of the nation, class and workers in the development trend of the country, the Congress identified the goals and action slogans of the Trade Union in the coming years as: "For the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country, for jobs, life, democracy and social justice, building a strong working class and Trade Union organization".

To achieve that goal, the Congress decided:

1. Continue to innovate propaganda and education to build a strong working class; worthy of being a revolutionary leadership class through its pioneering team, the Communist Party of Vietnam. Strengthen the working class alliance with the peasant class and the intellectual class as a foundation for the great national unity bloc, successfully implementing the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country for "A rich people, a strong country, a fair and civilized society".

2. Encourage workers, civil servants and laborers to promote the spirit of overcoming difficulties, being dynamic and creative in labor, production, and work, striving for the stability and development of the country; actively respond to three movements: Good labor with high productivity, quality, and efficiency, ensuring labor safety and hygiene; Studying to improve qualifications in all aspects, meeting - meeting the requirements of the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country; Practicing thrift, fighting corruption, fighting wastefulness, fighting negative manifestations, harassment, troubles, illegal acts, and fighting social evils.

3. Build a strong Trade Union organization, strive to develop union members; train and foster to improve the qualifications, capacity and bravery of the team of trade union officials. Implement the principle of centralism and democracy in trade union organization and activities. Promote propaganda and organization building to gather a large number of workers, civil servants and laborers in economic sectors, especially joint ventures, foreign-invested units, private economies... into the Trade Union. Attach importance to directing the building of strong grassroots trade unions to well perform the role of the Trade Union at the grassroots level in accordance with the law and the Charter of the Vietnam Trade Union.

4. Proactively participate in building laws and socio-economic policies; build a mechanism to inspect and supervise the implementation of policies and regimes related to workers, civil servants and laborers, especially policies on labor, wages, salaries, labor protection, social insurance, health insurance, vocational training and retraining, care for and protection of the legitimate and lawful interests of workers. Strengthen humanitarian, charity, and other social activities to contribute to solving employment, increasing income, stabilizing and improving life, and implementing poverty reduction among workers, civil servants and laborers. Promptly detect and resolve labor disputes, build harmonious and stable labor relations for the development of businesses and the country.

5. Mobilize workers, civil servants and laborers to participate in building the Party, building a clean and strong State apparatus, especially participating in building and implementing the Party's and State's guidelines and policies. Build and organize the good implementation of grassroots democracy regulations. Participate with the Party in building a Trade Union mechanism to introduce outstanding cadres from workers for the Party to plan, train, and foster them to become leading cadres; build a mechanism to protect trade union cadres and laborers to frankly fight against negativity. Educate and mobilize workers, civil servants and laborers to actively participate in the implementation of administrative reform, fight against corruption, bureaucracy, wastefulness and other social evils; raise vigilance, promote the movement to maintain political security, social order and safety, protect the Fatherland, and fight against the plots and tricks of "peaceful evolution" of hostile forces, opposed to our country's revolution.

6. Strengthen and expand the foreign affairs activities of the Vietnam Trade Union organization on the basis of implementing the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, and diversification of foreign relations of the Party and State in order to maximize external support, contributing to building a strong working class and Vietnam Trade Union organization; contributing to the common struggle of laborers and Trade Unions of countries for peace, national independence, development, for the benefit of workers, for trade union rights, people's livelihoods, democracy and social progress.

The Congress assigned the Executive Committee of the 8th Vietnam General Confederation of Labor to base on the Congress's Resolution combined with the actual situation and the Party's Resolutions, the State's guidelines and policies, concretize them into specialized Resolutions with goals and implementation measures.

To make the Congress Resolution a vivid reality in the movement of workers, civil servants, laborers and trade union activities; from the above-mentioned goals and key tasks, trade union levels need to develop action programs with specific tasks suitable to localities, sectors, and grassroots levels; consolidate the Trade Union organizational structure at all levels; build and implement working regulations; innovate the leadership and direction style of the standing agencies of trade unions at all levels, ensuring the successful implementation of the Resolution of the VIII Vietnam Trade Union Congress.

The Congress called on officials, trade union members and workers, civil servants and laborers nationwide, trade union members and Vietnamese workers abroad to promote the glorious tradition of the working class, uphold the spirit of solidarity, unity, will of self-reliance and self-strengthening, overcome all difficulties and challenges, determined to bring the Resolution of the VIII Vietnam Trade Union Congress into life, build a strong working class and trade union organization, contributing to the successful implementation of the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country, for the goal of "Rich people, strong country, fair and civilized society" steadily moving towards socialism.

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