Speech by General Secretary Nguyen Van Linh at the 6th Vietnam Trade Union Congress

Dear delegates,

Dear foreign guests,

First of all, allow me, on behalf of the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, to send warm greetings to the delegates.

Through the delegates, I would like to send to all officials and employees nationwide the warmest greetings from the Party Central Committee.

I would also warmly welcome international guests representing the World Federation of Trade Unions and Trade Union organizations of fraternal and friendly countries to attend the Congress and express their noble international solidarity with the working class and working people of Vietnam.

Comrades,

Five years have passed since the 5th National Trade Union Congress.

That was a time that was not flat and easy for our country and people. There were achievements, but there were also many difficulties, shortcomings and mistakes. Socio-economic shocks, especially the "spiral" of inflation and the "food fever" deeply touched the lives of each worker and each family.

The past five years have also been a time of contemplation, thought, and learning to find solutions that are more suitable for the country's reality. It is a period of transition between the old management mechanism still firmly rooted, which needs to be removed, and the new management mechanism that is embryoning, which needs to be built. Many economic experiments are being implemented and promising results. The atmosphere of democracy is beginning to spread everywhere, creating momentum for the renovation process.

However, the overall picture of our society has not yet had fundamental changes. There are still many major obstacles to overcome, many major contradictions to overcome. The basic thing is that we are confident in the goals and paths chosen at the 6th National Party Congress. We deeply understand that there is a renovation and transformation of an entire nation that does not have to go through overlapping steps and the price to pay? It is the complex and still thorny circumstances that test the stone of gold for the will and belief of each person, of trade union members and working people in general, especially of the working class - the pioneering class leading the revolution. We are proud that in that context, the vast majority of trade union members and advanced workers still retain their revolutionary nature, hardworking labor tradition, and spirit of enduring hardship to build and protect the Fatherland. We do not hide shortcomings and negativity, even in some places, sometimes serious in a part of workers and civil servants. But not only seeing trees and forgetting forests. A large number of manual laborers as well as intellectuals, in any circumstances, have faith and feelings attached to the revolution, to the Party. That is not accidental. It originates deeply from when our Party was first established and was consolidated in the long revolutionary struggle under the leadership of the Party to gain independence, freedom and national reunification. It is true that the current working class and laborers still have things that they are not satisfied with the leadership of the Party and the management of the State. But it is also true that they have never thought that there was any other political force that could replace the historical role of our Party and State. They longed and demanded that the Party rise to the level of the revolution, and soon find solutions to turn the situation around. They understand that, to make the Party fulfill its responsibility to history, workers, especially the working class, must be attached to the Party, actively participate in trade unions and strive to stand in the ranks of the Party to successfully implement the tasks set by the Party. They clearly express their determination to contribute to the Party and State to overcome all challenges.

These things explain why the working class and the working people of our country have persistently endured many hardships in the current situation. A significant part of workers, especially in the administrative, non-business and armed sectors, whose wages are still not enough to live on, food has not been supplied on time, accommodation is still cramped, jobs are not guaranteed, etc., but they still stick to factories, enterprises, construction sites, persistently working in agencies, schools, and hospitals. Saying that does not mean that the Party and the State allow themselves to abuse the kindness of workers to delay the resolution of hot socio-economic issues. But it is clear that if we lack the above qualities, we cannot cope with the great challenges today.

Overcoming the daily lingering thoughts about life, a large number of workers and civil servants have shown their qualities and revolutionary actions in each working position and work. Thanks to their collective efforts, the annual growth rate of industrial products in recent years has reached from 7 to 8%. Some heavy industrial products have had a fairly good increase, such as electricity, coal, cement, phosphate fertilizer, crude oil, etc. Consumer goods production has increased in quantity and type, achieving an annual growth rate of around 10%. In many production and business establishments, a movement of labor production and thrift has appeared in depth, bringing great economic efficiency. From the labor production and work movement, tens of thousands of valuable initiatives have arisen, tens of thousands of people have achieved the title of good laborer, many educators, doctors, artists, scientists, and engineers have been awarded noble titles of the State.

What makes us happy is that the overlapping difficulties in production and life do not overwhelm the creative strength of the working class, of manual laborers and intellectuals. Many wisdoms have emerged from the difficulties. In particular, I want to mention the emergence of many models of innovation in economic management mechanisms in the direction of eliminating bureaucratic centralism and subsidies, switching to business accounting. These models are creations of the masses at the grassroots level, have contributed a lot of valuable experience to the Party and State to summarize into important resolutions and policies to direct widespread replication. Delegates present here as well as the whole country all know the names of typical collectives such as Thanh Cong Textile Enterprise, Phuoc Long, Ho Chi Minh City Food Company. Hanoi Export Equipment Factory, Lam Thao Shoe Factory, Hai Phong Export Leather Shoe Factory, Coc Sau Coal Mine and many other units.

The sketches above, although incomplete, also tell a truth: the team of workers gathered in the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour is playing a very important role in the national economy and in many other areas of social activities. They are the main force that is gradually creating profound changes in our country. More than four million workers, civil servants, and union members of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour are and will be a reliable support for our Party and State.

On this occasion, on behalf of the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, I warmly commend the great and very worthy contributions of the working class, the manual laborers as well as the minds of our country to the cause of building and protecting the country!

Dear comrades!

The 6th Party Congress set out a platform of action for the entire Party and our entire people throughout the early stages of the transition period and for the period 1986 - 1990. The overarching goal of this period is to basically stabilize the socio-economic situation and create a premise for the next step of development. The central issue to create a breakthrough is to comprehensively innovate all areas of operation, from thinking, especially economic thinking, leadership style and work to organization and cadres.

For nearly two years, we have persistently strived in that direction. It is easy to see that in whichever field the ideology of renovation is correctly understood, finding appropriate forms of expression and determination to take action, the prospects are clear. For example, it is the new contract mechanism in agriculture according to Resolution 10. It is the liberation of production capacity of economic sectors outside the state sector according to Resolution 16. And although the centralized bureaucracy and subsidies mechanism in the entire economy have not changed much, thanks to the implementation of business accounting autonomy, some state-owned economic establishments have stood firm and created an upward trend.

But, comrades, in any case, those local changes have not yet changed the general situation. Even, some aspects are even more intense. How do each of us think and be responsible for the situation in recent years, the gross social product and national income have increased, but at a slow and unstable rate, completely not commensurate with the capacity. In particular, economic efficiency in recent years has decreased. Material consumption in production and business has increased. The apparatus and staff, especially the indirect labor force, is very heavy, far exceeding the permissible limit. The situation of "false profits, real losses" is still a common reality in many production and business establishments. If the "input" of production is calculated correctly and fully, it is certain that many production units will be on the verge of bankruptcy. But as we see, they are still alive. That is thanks to state subsidies. There is a paradoxical phenomenon that the State feeds the enterprise, not the opposite. But the State supports the enterprise, not the other way around. The above situation is the deep source of disorders in distribution and circulation, of economic and life upheavals.

The Resolution of the 6th Party Congress has pointed out basic solutions to overcome the situation. Among them, the key solution is to implement three major economic programs. That is also the battle front of our workers and civil servants. In each product of the three programs, directly or indirectly, there is the participation of the hands and minds of the working class, of the scientific and technical force. In the three programs, let's pay more attention to the agricultural program. Because currently, the issue of food is an urgent requirement of the whole society. To create the final product of agriculture, the impact of heavy industry, light industry, processing industry and science and technology cannot be ignored. Yet, we have not yet built an inter-sectoral, synchronous program to serve this leading front. There are many production materials and consumption materials that are very necessary for farmers and the country can meet but are still not satisfactory. That's not to mention product quality. What will the peasant class think when using poor quality industrial products and when needing repairs, lacking replacement parts? How have workers and civil servants in distribution and circulation industries improved their work to promote agricultural development, reduce congestion and troubles in product exchange between rural and urban areas? To prevent the trade-farm alliance from becoming just empty slogans, we must pay more attention to practical and effective work. That is not only for the benefit of agriculture and farmers, but also for the benefit of industry and workers. Agriculture development is the way to save industry. I hope that the issue of workers serving agriculture will be seriously reviewed by comrades, and on that basis, there will be practical actions to improve the situation.

The three economic programs can only be successful if they are closely linked to innovation - economic management mechanisms from macro to micro levels. Currently, we are in the process of rearranging production, rearranging the management and business organization apparatus, and gradually implementing economic accounting. This is a profound revolution to abandon passive business practices, the habit of relying on state subsidies, and switch to a new path in principle. Accordingly, enterprises should self-sufficient, self-develop, and harmoniously solve three benefits: both increasing contributions to the State and re-producing and expanding enterprises, improving wages and welfare for workers. Trade unions at all levels must consider this their most important political task. To do this, the Trade Union must organize a vibrant revolutionary action movement of the collective of workers and employees, focusing on the following major contents:

- Strongly reduce material consumption in the production and business process by saving based on reasonable norms;

- Arrange neatly and lightly the apparatus and infrastructure, the proportion of indirect labor;

- Apply advanced scientific and technical measures to improve technology processes, reduce costs and improve product quality;

- Resolutely combat all kinds of negativity, especially theft of public property and internal distribution that violates principles;

- Awaken the spirit of mastery of workers and civil servants in labor and in participating in all aspects of unit management.

I think that those are the basic issues that can be solved will contribute to consolidating the leading role of the state-owned economy in the economy and the pioneering nature of the working class in society.

Comrades,

The strength of the working class lies in the organization. The Trade Union is the largest mass organization of the working class and other workers, a member of the pro-proletarian system, a solid support of the State government. In the cause of national renovation, the Trade Union is the core force, playing a pioneering role.

How to make the Trade Union have a great impact on the class and society is an issue that each of us is very concerned about.

First of all, the Trade Union must be a "communist school". According to V.I. Lenin, the concept of "school" has broad content, including management schools (economic management, state management, social management), joint schools, solidarity schools, and schools protecting their own interests.

Speaking of schools, the first important thing is education and self-education, criticism and self-criticism. Do not forget the teachings of V.I. Lenin that: "From a political perspective, mass education is the key thing". Education through schools and classes is important, but more important is education in emulation movements, in daily practical activities. Taking real people and real work that are vivid and close in enterprises and agencies to educate union members to strive to become new workers. How to make the Party and State's guidelines, policies and policies reach the masses in an easy and practical way. At the same time, attach importance to training and fostering workers in professional knowledge and skills, with a certain level of economic management and minimum understanding of accounting and business. Without those basic knowledge, workers cannot exercise their right to mastery. I also propose that trade unions at all levels coordinate with specialized agencies and Party committees to pay more attention to educating revolutionary ideals, socialist ideals, communism and moral qualities for the working class and other workers. Recently, we have also underestimated this issue, if not to say that there have been times and places where it has been relaxed. As a revolutionary leader class, the working class must have a deep political vision and human morality is higher than other classes and social strata. They must be the historical leader, the leading force in the cause of renovation. To have social revolution, first of all, the working class must revolutionize themselves. The more difficult and arduous the revolution is, the higher the revolutionary spirit of the working class must be. Because there is no natural or divine force, but the working class itself must save itself. The above requirements for the Trade Union and the working class at this time are more necessary than ever. Everyone knows that, due to growing up in a backward agricultural country with underdeveloped large industry, the working class in our country, besides the positive aspects, still has many shortcomings. The majority are short-lived workers, the influence of farmers and petty bourgeois is still large. Due to not being trained in the environment of large industry, they still have many shortcomings of small producers. Moreover, in recent years, the economic situation has faced many difficulties, education and management have been lax, so negative phenomena and degeneration in a part of the working class and laborers have a tendency to develop. The recent Trade Union Congresses at all levels have looked straight and spoken quite fully of this truth. We cannot remain silent and ignore when a significant number of workers and civil servants are still lazy to work, act shamelessly, steal public property, gamble, drink alcohol, be superstitious, violate discipline, order and public order, do business illegally, etc. I do not agree with the opinion that the cause of all these negative phenomena is due to difficult economic life. If so, are we passively helpless? There are other subjective causes, first of all, the educational and management role of the Trade Union, the Party and the government. Recently, if this role was better implemented, the scope and extent of negative phenomena would certainly not spread as widely as it is now. On the other hand, as materialists, we do not deny the great impact of economic life and social circumstances on the ideological consciousness and qualities, morality of the working class. The question is, within its authority and capacity, what has the Trade Union done? What did the Trade Union do to influence the ideological consciousness of the working class? It should not be forgotten that, even in proletarian dictatorship, V.I. Lenin still demanded that the Trade Union promote its role as a "school to protect its rights". He criticized those who believed that in a working-class state where the bourgeoisie no longer dominated, the Trade Union no longer had to protect the material and spiritual rights of the working class. He said: "Clearly people have made mistakes... Our state is still bureaucratic. That is the actual situation of the transition. In a State that has formed such a reality, is it possible that the Trade Union has nothing to protect? " (Lenin Toan tap, Vol. 42, Tien Bo Publishing House, Moscow, 1977, Vietnamese, pages 255-256).

Is it because they have not paid attention to the practical benefits of workers that in many Trade Unions, there is a phenomenon of union members not being closely attached to their organization?

I believe that, in a certain sense, the issue of salaries, bonuses, collective welfare, housing, food supply and essential consumer goods is also an issue of production itself. It is a human issue, as the leading production force of society. So what is the responsibility of the Trade Union here?

First of all, the distribution regimes that have been regulated by the State as well as the collective welfare funds that have been approved by the Congress of workers and civil servants must be persistently struggled by the Trade Union to implement. Because not everything already in the document will automatically come to the workers. There needs to be a weighted voice of the Trade Union, against all manifestations of violating their legitimate interests.

Second, the Trade Union, together with enterprise and agency leaders, promote dynamism, try to find legitimate forms to increase income for workers such as organizing auxiliary production, providing necessary services or opening vocational training classes for workers' children, so that they have jobs and reduce the burden on their families.

Third, the Trade Union encourages union members to promote production, increase labor productivity and work efficiency at enterprises and agencies. The more and more wealth is produced and the higher the quality, the greater the benefits that collectives and individual workers enjoy. This must be the main source to improve workers' lives.

Of course, workers and the Trade Union on their behalf can only fight to protect what they have produced today. Consumption levels cannot be higher than the reality of social production and their own contribution capacity. On the other hand, the wealth produced must also be partly for accumulation, meaning for tomorrow's consumption of workers and social consumption. In that spirit, we cannot fail to criticize the views and actions that are bourgeois and localistic, only knowing their own interests, regardless of the regime and general regulations of the State. There has been a situation where there are many bases where the Trade Union turns a blind eye or colludes with management officials to use illegal tricks to distribute internally, causing damage to social interests. Yet there are unconscious trade union members who have considered those wrongdoings as actions of "caring for and protecting the interests of workers". We do not object, on the contrary, we strongly support those with high incomes, but it must be on a healthy basis, meaning based on productivity, quality and labor efficiency.

Comrades,

For the Trade Union to fulfill its responsibilities in the new stage of the revolution, the Trade Union itself must innovate the content and methods of operation, innovate the organization and cadres. I agree with the contents of innovation in trade union activities proposed in the report submitted to this Congress. I want to emphasize a few more points:

First, the 6th Party Congress has proposed a strategic policy to develop a multi-component economy. Therefore, the organizational and mobilization targets of the Trade Union must be expanded more than before. The activities of the Trade Union must not only be limited to the contingent of cadres, workers, and state employees, but must also cover private enterprises, enterprises with foreign investment, industrial production cooperatives, construction, and transportation. It is necessary to eliminate narrow prejudices and discrimination against workers who are not in the state payroll. In line with the above changes, the Trade Union needs to study organizational forms and operating methods suitable to the characteristics of these economic types. The name General Confederation of Labour itself also needs to be amended to suit the new content, and should be named Vietnam General Confederation of Labour.

Second, the Trade Union must fully demonstrate its organizational independence. That is the condition for the Trade Union to further promote its role and effectiveness in the pro-proletarian system. In essence, the Trade Union's activities are not independent of other organizations in the pro-proletarian system. But in terms of functions and methods of operation, the Trade Union is not completely the same as other organizations. Clarifying and fully demonstrating in practice the functions and methods of operation of the Trade Union, it is certain that the Trade Union will ensure organizational independence.

This not only requires the efforts of the Trade Union itself, but also the responsibility of the Party and State agencies, which must be from both sides. The Trade Union itself must be more active and proactive in work, especially in the function of protecting the interests of workers, the function of participating in managing and inspecting, supervising the activities of state management agencies. To do this, not only is it necessary to have correct political awareness, capacity on par with the requirements, qualities and pure morality - these are very important things, but in many cases also need courage, perseverance and resolute attitude. In many relationships, it is necessary to have the role of counterweight of the Trade Union. Because it has not been done like that, sometimes people jokingly say that the Trade Union is an organization that "follows, cheats" or "the fifth wheel". We demand that the Trade Union must have its own independent opinion, not rely on the Party Committee, and not depend on the management agency. Of course, organizational independence is far from the oppositional view of organization. Trade unions cannot be specialized organizations in the style of "trade unionism" or following outdated masses.

Third, along with streamlining the apparatus and staff, the Trade Union must strongly innovate its operating methods.

In the conditions where the Party holds power, not only the activities of the Party and State agencies but also mass organizations, including the Trade Union, are often infected with bureaucratic disease. Currently, the working style is quite heavy at all levels of trade unions. Instead of going down to the grassroots level to understand, contact and dialogue with the masses, people mainly manage work with official letters, directives and too many meetings. In many cases, bureaucratic superiors rely on bureaucratic subordinates to receive information and propose decisions. Therefore, the proposed policies are not close, the work is resolved slowly, and the formalism in the work is heavy. These are important reasons why the role of the Trade Union is overshadowed. It must be frankly admitted that our Trade Union has a large number of union members, but in general it is not strong, and the quality is still poor. Many trade union groups have little activity or have activities but are heavy on form, and the content is poor and boring. Meanwhile, upper-level trade union officials rarely attend meetings with union members to help them change the situation. I propose that in the future, trade union levels need to innovate their operating methods in the direction of: taking the grassroots level as the operating area, taking union members as the object of mobilization, persuasion and education. Only by this way can the guidelines and policies of the Party and State, and the decisions of the Trade Union reach the masses and become a great material strength to successfully solve the set tasks. Only by this way can the Trade Union stand firm in the hearts of the masses, and the Trade Union's prestige is enhanced, worthy of their trust and love.

Fourth, take care of training, fostering and using trade union officials well. The central task of the socialist revolution is to build the economy. This requirement must be thoroughly grasped in the work of trade union officials. Today, trade union officials cannot use enthusiasm to call for and encourage in general anymore. They must be equipped with certain knowledge of expertise, economic management. Knowledge of psychology, sociology, and law is also very necessary. Of course, professional skills in public affairs are indispensable. We do not set the task for trade union officials to have professional qualifications like experts or managers. But if they do not have minimal knowledge of expertise in the field they work in, it is difficult to complete the task well. In this direction, it is necessary to open up many forms of formal and non-formal training, centralized and in-service, long-term and short-term, constantly improving the content and methods of training in the spirit of innovation.

Trade union leaders do not necessarily have to be party members, but the mandatory thing is that they must have grown up from the grassroots level or from the trade union movement. Only then can they understand the actual work and deeply sympathize with the lives of workers. Also for that purpose, it is necessary to strengthen part-time trade union officials, especially at the grassroots level. This helps reduce staffing and is beneficial for closely grasping the actual situation. At the same time, there should be a plan to rotate officials from the upper level to work in localities, at the grassroots level and vice versa: From the trade union movement, recruit workers and union members with prospects to strengthen the contingent of Trade Union officials, and at the same time discover outstanding trade union officials to train them into leaders and managers of the Party and State.

Comrades,

Building a strong Trade Union is not only the task of the working class and laborers, but also the responsibility of our Party and State.

In recent years, besides certain efforts, the Party and State still have many shortcomings in the trade union movement. The weaknesses in the Trade Union's activities that comrades mentioned in the report have a significant cause in the Party's leadership and the State's management. Please allow me not to repeat these issues here because in the Resolution of the 6th Party Congress in the report of the Trade Union Executive Committee submitted to this Congress, it was said quite fully. It is clear that the complex and difficult socio-economic situation has greatly impacted the trade union movement. Life and work, democracy and social justice emerge as important factors governing the awareness and work, thoughts and feelings of cadres, workers, and public employees. We understand that basically overcoming these problems is not a simple matter, done in a day or two. What is worth mentioning is that there are things that are not worth happening or that can reduce the burden on workers, if the Party and the State pay more attention, be more responsible, and act more decisively. For example, comrades mentioned the situation of food supply not being on time, wages not being distributed on time, wage allowances not increasing in time with price increases, the serious degradation of education and healthcare, and the lack of adequate policies to treat skilled workers and good professionals, etc. I think that, for these issues, from the statements and recommendations of delegates and Trade Union Congresses at all levels, the Party and State must draw necessary conclusions, and must have strong measures to improve the situation.

Regarding the State's responsibility to the Trade Union, Comrade Do Muoi, Chairman of the Council of Ministers, will speak to the comrades.

Here, I want to say a few words about the Party's leadership over the Trade Union. This field is weak and has not met the requirements.

First of all, Party committees at all levels must further enhance their leadership role in the Trade Union. The Party leads politics by thoroughly grasping the Party's guidelines and policies among the working masses; contributing opinions on policies and work contents to the Trade Union; inspecting and urging implementation; introducing key leading cadres to the Trade Union so that they can choose and elect worthy people to represent them. The Party mainly conducts leadership through promoting the role of party members operating in trade unions. Party members must be the active core in conducting widespread education and persuasion work for the working masses; being the core in performing production and work tasks at the grassroots level; setting a bright example of qualities and ethics in daily life. The Party does not interfere rudely and trivially, does not replace the Trade Union's work. At the same time, the Party also does not neglect leadership, entrusting everything to the Trade Union. Periodically, the Party committee works with the standing committee and the Trade Union Executive Committee, contacts and dialogues with the collective of workers and civil servants to listen to them present their thoughts and recommendations, and answer their problems.

Furthermore, I want to remind Party committees at all levels to pay more attention to developing party members among workers, especially direct production workers. In recent years, the number of newly admitted party members and workers only accounts for 7 to 8% of the total number of admitted party members annually. That is too low a rate, this situation must be quickly changed.

Finally, a fundamental issue of short-term and long-term significance is that the Party and State, together with the Trade Union, are promoting the drafting and promulgation of resolutions on building the working class, the Trade Union Law (new), the Labor Law and other legal documents related to workers, meeting the requirements of the revolution in the new period.

Dear comrades,

The 6th National Trade Union Congress is an important event in the political life of the working class and laborers. The Congress directly looked at the current situation and proposed solutions to overcome it to move the trade union movement forward.

After the Congress, the most important issue is to organize the implementation well, arousing a vibrant revolutionary action movement of cadres, workers, and public employees to complete the tasks set out by the Trade Union Congress, making great contributions to the common revolutionary cause of the whole country.

With that hope, I wish the Congress success! Wishing the delegates health and happiness.

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