Speech by General Secretary Nong Duc Manh at the X Congress of the Vietnam Trade Union

Dear Presidium of the Congress,

Dear comrades leaders of the Party, State and Vietnam Fatherland Front,

Dear veteran revolutionaries,

Dear distinguished guests and all delegates of the Congress

Today, I am very pleased to attend the 10th Congress of the Vietnam Trade Union, an important political event of the working class, workers and the Vietnam Trade Union organization, and also a source of encouragement and motivation for the people of the whole country. On behalf of the Party Central Committee, I warmly welcome the delegates, typical representatives of the working class, workers and trade union organizations at all levels to attend the Congress. Through you, I send to all workers, civil servants, and laborers nationwide my warm regards, wishes for health, happiness and success.

I warmly welcome the distinguished guests of the Congress; warmly welcome the delegates representing the World Federation of Trade Unions, regional trade unions, trade unions of countries, international organizations and diplomatic delegations who have attended the Congress. The presence of you has brought the working class, trade union organizations and people of Vietnam a precious international friendship and solidarity.

Dear comrades delegates of the Congress,

Over the past five years, the world and regional situation has had many complex developments, deeply impacting our country, creating both favorable opportunities and intertwined difficulties and challenges. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the entire Party, people, and army have strived to achieve very important achievements. The economy continues to grow quite high, people's lives are constantly improving; politics - society is stable, culture - society has many progressive aspects; national defense and security are strengthened; our country's position in the international arena is increasingly high. That great achievement has the important contribution of the working class, workers and the Vietnam Trade Union organization.

Along with the development of the country, the Vietnamese working class has made progress in both quantity and quality; political awareness, professional and vocational education levels have been improved. Our country's workers, civil servants, and laborers have been dynamic, creative, quickly adapted to the market mechanism, quickly accessed advanced and modern technology, gradually undertaken and mastered jobs with high scientific and technical levels, initially forming an increasing number of intellectual workers, who have made and are making many important contributions to planning and organizing the implementation of the Party and State's guidelines, policies in the new era.

The Vietnam Trade Union, a large socio-political organization of workers, civil servants and laborers, has continuously strived to overcome difficulties, innovate the organization, content, and methods of operation, mobilize, attract, and gather an increasing number of workers, civil servants, and laborers to be pioneers in implementing the Party's guidelines and policies, and the State's laws. Many emulation movements launched and organized by the Trade Union have achieved practical and exemplary results, such as: "Emulation movement for good labor, creative labor", "Initiative and thrifty movement", "Emulation to serve the cause of industrialization, modernization of agriculture and new rural construction", building cadres, civil servants, and laborers who are "Loyal, creative, dedicated, exemplary". Especially, the Trade Union has well implemented the campaign "Studying and following Ho Chi Minh's moral example" attracting, encouraging, and motivating a large number of workers, civil servants, and laborers nationwide to participate, bringing initial practical effectiveness.

Trade union levels have focused on directing the successful implementation of the program to develop 1 million union members proposed by the IX Congress of the Vietnam Trade Union, especially in the non-state sector and foreign-invested sectors. Trade union activities have been oriented towards grassroots levels, taking grassroots levels as the main operating area, with many diverse and rich forms of organization to propagate, educate, disseminate the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws, mobilize workers, civil servants, and laborers to implement grassroots democracy regulations; actively fight against negative phenomena, waste, corruption, and violations of labor laws; make many efforts to care for and protect the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of workers, civil servants, laborers and build harmonious, stable, and progressive labor relations, contributing to promoting production and business development.

Cooperative and friendly relations between the Vietnam Trade Union and international organizations, trade unions of countries in the region and the world are strengthened and expanded, in the spirit of cooperation, equality, and mutual respect for common interests. The position and role of the working class and the Vietnam Trade Union organization are increasingly affirmed and enhanced.

On behalf of the Party Central Committee, I warmly commend the achievements and progress of the movement of workers, civil servants and laborers and trade union activities nationwide in the past term.

Dear comrades delegates of the Congress,

The report of the Executive Committee of the 9th Vietnam Trade Union correctly and comprehensively assessed the movement of workers, civil servants, and laborers and the activities of the Trade Union in the 2003-2008 term. Along with clearly affirming achievements and strengths, comrades frankly and seriously pointed out shortcomings and limitations, especially shortcomings and limitations in propaganda, education and representation, protection of the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of workers and laborers in non-state enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises. When we have clearly recognized the limitations and shortcomings, I believe that comrades will strive to overcome them well in the coming time.

Regarding the direction and tasks of the Trade Union for the 2008-2013 term, I express high agreement with the basic contents stated in the Political Report submitted to the Congress to achieve the goal of "Continuing to innovate the content and methods of operation of Trade Unions at all levels, towards grassroots levels, taking grassroots levels as the main operating area, taking union members, workers, civil servants, and laborers as the objects of mobilization, strongly shifting trade union activities to organizing the implementation of the function of representing and protecting the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of union members, workers, civil servants, and laborers; building harmonious, stable, and progressive labor relations; contributing to promoting the socio-economic development of the country". That goal requires the Trade Union to promote its active role in building the working class, an important and urgent task of the entire Party, the entire political system and our entire people in the period of accelerating industrialization and modernization of the country. We must build a comprehensively strong Vietnamese working class, with class awareness and firm political bravery, with a structure to meet the requirements of national development; increasingly improve educational level, expertise, professional skills, have the ability to access and master advanced and modern science and technology in the context of knowledge economy development; quickly adapt to market mechanisms and international economic integration; have high industrial style and labor discipline, worthy of being the leading force in the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country and being a solid core in the worker-peasant-intellectual alliance, the foundation of the great national unity bloc.

Our Party and State always identify a high responsibility in leading and organizing the implementation of guidelines, policies, and tasks to build a strong working class and trade union organization, creating conditions for all workers, civil servants, and laborers to fully promote their abilities and intelligence to contribute to the cause of building and protecting the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland in the new period.

The Vietnam Trade Union plays an important role directly in taking care of building the working class. All activities of the Trade Union must be truly oriented towards grassroots levels, answering practical production and life issues, associated with patriotic emulation movements, arousing and maximizing resources among workers, civil servants, and laborers, sensitively discovering new factors, advanced examples to replicate into a common movement.

Trade unions must proactively go deep into research, promptly grasp the thoughts and aspirations of the masses and the pressing demands at the grassroots level, gather the intelligence of workers, civil servants, and laborers to participate in building and perfecting policies and laws; organize effective inspection and supervision of the implementation of laws and regimes and policies, truly care for and protect the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of workers, civil servants, and laborers, and at the same time pay attention to creating conditions and organizing them to best promote their democratic rights in production and business. Mobilize, gather, and organize for workers, civil servants, and laborers to promote the nature and glorious revolutionary traditions of the working class and the nation, constantly strive to improve their qualifications in all aspects, strive to overcome difficulties, strive to work and contribute, contributing to the entire Party and people to build our country to become increasingly sustainable.

Trade union levels must thoroughly grasp and apply correctly and creatively the viewpoints and ideologies of the Resolution of the 10th Party Congress, especially the Resolution of the 6th Conference of the Party Central Committee (10th term) on "Continuing to build the Vietnamese working class in the period of accelerating industrialization and modernization of the country".

Further promote the work of mobilizing and organizing activities to attract and gather an increasing number of CNVC-LĐ to voluntarily join and participate in trade union activities. Innovate propaganda and education of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh ideology, Party guidelines and policies, policies and laws of the State, education to improve political bravery, class enlightenment, sense of organizational labor discipline, industrial style, and improve educational and professional qualifications for CNVC-LĐ. It is necessary to pay special attention to building a young generation of workers to become the core part of the working class, with high education and professional skills, on par with the region and the international level, with class stance and firm political bravery, with the will to rise out of poverty and backwardness, determined to get rich legitimately for themselves and their families, making important contributions to socio-economic development, maintaining political security, social order and safety, worthy of being the leading class in implementing the Party's renovation policy.

Pay more attention to fostering work to develop the Party among workers and laborers. Strengthen close and effective coordination with research agencies of the Party, State, socio-political organizations, and scientists to promote theoretical research, summarize practice on the working class and trade union activities in the context of socialist-oriented market economy development, promote industrialization, modernization of the country and international integration; gradually develop the knowledge economy; contribute to perfecting the theory on the working class and trade union organizations and activities, helping the Party and State have full scientific arguments to propose correct and appropriate guidelines and policies.

Strengthen international solidarity between the working class and the Vietnam Trade Union organization with the world and regional workers' and trade union movements; seek the support, cooperation and assistance of the International Labor Organization, Trade Unions of countries around the world in improving the operational capacity of organizations and trade union officials, effectively performing the function of representing and protecting the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of trade union members and workers.

Dear comrades delegates of the Congress,

The X Congress of the Vietnam Trade Union has an important task of electing a new term Trade Union Executive Committee consisting of typical comrades with firm political bravery, qualities and capacity to be able to perform the great tasks set out by the Congress for the next term. The delegates of the Congress need to uphold the spirit of responsibility, discuss democratically and wisely select deserving comrades to be elected to the Executive Committee of the Trade Union for the 2008-2013 term.

Dear comrades delegates of the Congress,

With the nature and glorious tradition of the working class, the Vietnam Trade Union organization, with the spirit of the 10th Trade Union Congress, I believe that in the 2008-2013 term, the Vietnam Trade Union will have a strong and comprehensive development of the workers' movement and the organization of trade union activities, making an important contribution together with the entire Party, the entire people and the entire army to overcome difficulties and challenges, comprehensively promote the renovation process, successfully implement the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country for the goal of a rich people, a strong country, a fair, democratic, civilized society, firmly moving towards socialism.

Wishing distinguished guests and all delegates good health and happiness.

Wishing the 10th Vietnam Trade Union Congress a great success.

Thank you very much.

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Dear comrades delegates of the Congress,

On this occasion, on behalf of the Party Central Committee, I would like to present the Vietnam Trade Union with a banner bearing the words "Vietnamese Trade Union in innovation and creativity; protecting the legitimate rights of union members, workers, civil servants, and laborers; for the stable and sustainable development of the country".

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