Summary of the formation and development of the working class and the Vietnam Trade Union organization (part 5)

1. Period 1975 - 1980

The victorious anti-American resistance war for national salvation opened an era of independence, unity and the whole country building socialism together. That situation strongly impacted the workers' movement and trade union activities.

On June 6, 1976, the National Trade Union Unification Conference was held at the Reunification Hall, Ho Chi Minh City. Attending the conference were 72 delegates representing 3 million trade union members from the South and North, the Conference decided to unify the Trade Unions of the South and North into the "Vietnam General Confederation of Labour". Comrade Hoang Quoc Viet - member of the Party Central Committee was elected Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, and Comrade Nguyen Duc Thuan was appointed Secretary General.

Responding to the requirements of the workers' and trade union movements nationwide, the 4th Congress of the Vietnam Trade Union opened in Hanoi on May 8, 1978. 926 delegates attended the congress, representing over 3 million trade union members, workers, and civil servants nationwide. The Congress identified the tasks of the working class and the trade union movement as: mobilizing and uniting workers, promoting revolutionary traditions, enthusiastically competing in labor production to successfully implement the second 5-year plan. The Congress elected Comrade Nguyen Van Linh, member of the Politburo of the Party Central Committee Executive Committee as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour. Comrade Nguyen Duc Thuan was appointed Vice Chairman cum Secretary General.

After the Congress, the Socialist Labor Emulation Movement with 5 specific contents in workers and civil servants has created positive changes, many advanced examples and new factors in production have been formed. The results of the emulation movement have made great contributions to the cause of building and protecting the Fatherland, creating the initial material and technical basis of the transition period to socialism.

In 5 years (1976-1980), Trade Unions at all levels, especially grassroots trade unions, have regularly paid attention to and made many efforts to care for the lives of workers and civil servants, but due to the prolonged socio-economic crisis, rapid price increases, and reduced actual salary value, the lives of workers and civil servants faced many difficulties, and a part of workers in factories, enterprises, and agricultural and forestry farms lost their jobs. In that situation, the trade union both promoted propaganda and education, stabilized ideology among workers and civil servants, and strengthened inspection and supervision to ensure the full and timely implementation of regimes and policies issued by the State; resolutely fought against manifestations of negativity, bureaucracy, authoritarianism, embezzlement, and reducing standards of workers; launched a movement to own enterprises, exploiting all potentials to promote production development.

The Vietnam Trade Union has promoted relations with trade unions of other countries, seizing the material and spiritual support and assistance of workers and international trade unions for the cause of building and protecting the Fatherland, contributing to strengthening solidarity between world workers and Vietnamese workers.

With the great contributions of the Vietnam Trade Union to the socio-economic development of the country, on December 18, 1980, the 6th National Assembly passed the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, which affirmed "The Vietnam General Confederation of Labour is the largest mass organization of the Vietnamese working class, a communist school, an economic management school, and a state management school".

In summary, after the country's reunification, the working class and the Vietnam Trade Union organization developed rapidly and strongly. Along with the working people of the whole country, the working class united, promoted production, overcame the consequences of 30 years of war, contributing to building and protecting the socialist Fatherland. Besides the achieved results, limitations were also revealed such as: The emulation direction work is still general, not focused on promoting the right to mastery of the socialist collective of workers and civil servants. Trade unions are not really the agency representing the right to mastery of workers and civil servants, not boldly fighting to protect the rights of workers.

2. Period 1981 - 1986

In the context of the country facing many difficulties due to socio-economic crises, the Trade Union has encouraged workers to well implement the initial reforms of the Party and State in industrial production such as: respecting the right to proactive production and business, financial autonomy of state-owned enterprises, implementing three plans in industrial production (according to Decision No. 25/CP); expanding forms of salary contracting, product contracting and applying forms of bonuses in state-owned production and business units (according to Decision No. 26/CP). Labor and production emulation movements of workers and laborers on key national projects, such as: Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant, Tri An, Pha Lai Thermal Power Plant, Vung Tau Oil and Gas, Bim Son Cement, Ha Tien, Hoang Thach... took place continuously and enthusiastically, striving to complete and exceed the assigned targets and plans.

By 1982, the whole country had more than 3 million trade union members gathered in 40 provincial and city trade union unions and 20 central industry trade unions, 193 local industry trade unions, and 20,647 grassroots trade unions. There were 14,229 full-time trade union officials. The district trade union system continued to be established in many places, creating conditions to strengthen and consolidate the worker-peasant alliance bloc.

From November 12, 1983, in Hanoi, the 5th Congress of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour was held. 949 delegates attended the congress. The Congress affirmed the continued implementation of the general tasks of the trade union in the socialist revolution that were raised from the 4th National Congress of the Trade Union. The Congress set out specific tasks of the workers' movement and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, in order to implement the Resolution of the 5th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Comrade Nguyen Duc Thuan - Member of the Party Central Committee was re-elected as Chairman, comrade Pham The Duyet - Alternate Member of the Party Central Committee was elected as Vice Chairman cum Secretary General of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour. The Congress decided to take July 28, 1929 as the anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour.

On August 2, 1984, the 3rd Conference of the Executive Committee of the General Confederation of Labour (term V) met to approve the action program of the Trade Union to implement Resolution 6 of the Central Executive Committee on arranging and reorganizing production, improving productivity, quality and economic efficiency, overcoming bureaucratic and subsidized administrative styles, and strongly shifting to economic accounting and socialist business.

Thoroughly grasping that spirit, trade union levels have organized many specialized conferences to discuss measures to remove difficulties in production, promote management improvement, reorganize production, take advantage of and exploit the potential of materials and raw materials, and production capacity of units, localities, and sectors. On April 18, 1985, the General Confederation of Labour issued Directive No. 27/CT-TCĐ requesting trade union levels to "participate with all levels of government and state agencies to amend and supplement, build regimes, policies, and management mechanisms. The directive has identified 4 main tasks that need to be implemented in grassroots trade unions: Propaganda and education of employees; participating in improving management aspects in enterprises; organizing the implementation of the powers and obligations of collective mastery of employees and improving the organization and capacity of grassroots trade unions. At the same time, it also identified specific tasks that trade union levels need to focus on solving.

By the end of 1985, Hanoi Industry alone had reduced 3000 workers, accounting for nearly 10% of the total number of employees; Hai Phong Industry reduced 2000 people; Quang Nam - Da Nang province's indirect force decreased from 25-27%.

Along with management participation activities, the emulation movement to strive to successfully complete the State plan to promote initiatives, technical improvements, practice thrift, and create a shift in industrial production took place enthusiastically. In 5 years 1981-1985, statistics of 11 sectors and 22 localities had 235,559 initiatives and 33 inventions. There were 310 state-level technical advances and 1,270 local-level sector-level projects applied in practice, bringing great economic efficiency. There were 7,916 people who received Certificates of Merit and Creative Labor badges.

In the movement to build socialist labor teams, in 1981, 15,281 groups were recognized as socialist labor groups, of which 14,260 groups belonged to the State sector (accounting for 93%). In 1982, more than 18,000 groups were recognized (out of 46,252 registered groups). In 1985, 48,831 groups registered to strive to become socialist labor groups, an increase of 16,204 groups compared to 1984. Notably, 426 groups were recognized as socialist labor groups for 10 consecutive years or more, with 10 groups achieving titles for 23 consecutive years such as small stone group ca A Hai Phong Cement Factory, Hong Bang Hai Phong technology product sales group, garment group 3 May 10 Enterprise...

The movement to ensure occupational safety and health has gradually become a routine in many sectors and localities. By 1984, 29/40 provinces, cities, special zones and 15/20 central sectors with nearly 3000 production and business establishments had inspection and scoring movements according to Circular 08/TT-LB, with 1,112 construction facilities meeting occupational safety and health standards. These establishments have built a network of safety guards including more than 100,000 people operating in groups, workshops and factories. The Institute of Labor Science and Technology Research of the General Confederation of Labour has completed many research topics, including a topic in Program 58.01 (state level) that was well evaluated, contributing to preventing labor accidents and occupational diseases for employees.

The socialist international emulation movement took place quite actively in 11 sectors with experts from socialist countries working at 76 facilities, especially key construction projects, facilities with many Soviet experts such as Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant, Tri An, Pha Lai Thermal Power Plant, Thang Long Bridge, Lam Thao Superphosphate, geological exploration activities, vocational schools, export shipyards, sailors on Soviet ships and workers at Hai Phong, Da Nang, Saigon ports.

The form of organizing emulation links between sectors has created synchronous coordination to meet the requirements of agricultural production, such as links between the Transport sector and Chemicals and Agricultural Materials; between Electricity and Agriculture and Irrigation.

In 1984, on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (July 28, 1929 – July 28, 1984), the State awarded the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour the Golden Star Order - the highest order of the Vietnamese State.