Summary of the formation and development of the working class and the Vietnam Trade Union organization (part 6)

1. Period 1986 - 1995

The comprehensive renovation policy, first of all, economic thinking renovation to promote capacity and unleash available potential proposed by the 6th Party Congress, has changed perceptions and actions throughout society in general and in trade union activities in particular.

The 6th Congress of the Vietnam Trade Union met from October 17 to October 20, 1988 in Hanoi. The congress was attended by 834 delegates from 58 delegations along with 225 guest delegates, 59 delegates from 32 other international delegations. The Congress identified "Employment, life, democracy and social justice" as the operating goals of trade unions at all levels.

The Congress decided to rename the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour as the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour. Rename the Confederation of Labour of provinces, cities, special zones, districts, and towns as the Confederation of Labour of provinces, cities, special zones, districts, and towns. Eliminate the title of Secretary General, Chairman of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour as head of the Executive Committee and Secretariat of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour; replace the title of Secretary of trade unions at all levels with the title of Trade Union Chairman. The Congress elected comrade Nguyen Van Tu - alternate member of the Party Central Committee Executive Committee as Chairman of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour. The VI Congress of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour was recognized as the Congress of Innovation of the workers' movement and the Vietnam Trade Union organization.

On June 30, 1990, the 7th session of the 8th National Assembly passed the Trade Union Law, which replaced the Trade Union Law announced on November 5, 1957. The 1990 Trade Union Law is the legal basis for promoting the role of trade unions in the new era, ensuring democratic rights and the interests of workers in the process of industrialization and modernization of the country. The position and role of the Trade Union organization have been more clearly defined in the political system of Vietnam.

In June 1991, the 7th National Congress of the Party continued to affirm and develop the renovation policy, defining the general goal for the 5 years 1991-1995 as: overcoming difficulties and challenges, stabilizing and developing socio-economics, strengthening political stability, pushing back negativity and social injustice, and basically bringing Vietnam out of crisis.

In the new situation, the Trade Union has focused on innovating the organization, content, and methods of operation in the direction of being close to the grassroots level, taking workers as the object of mobilization and gathering, taking care of and protecting the rights, interests, legitimate and lawful rights of workers and improving production and business efficiency as the goal of operation.

In 1992, the Government issued a Decree on the rights and responsibilities of grassroots trade unions in enterprises and agencies. Article 10 of the 1992 Constitution stipulates the position and role of the Vietnam Trade Union organization. In 1994, the Prime Minister issued regulations on the working relationship between the Government and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor. These are necessary legal bases to ensure good trade union operations.

From November 9 to 12, 1993, the 7th Congress of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour met in Hanoi. More than 600 delegates representing workers, civil servants and laborers from all over the country attended the Congress. The Congress highly appreciated the contributions of all workers, intellectuals, and artists in all production, business, service, security and defense establishments, scientific research management agencies of schools, hospitals, and administrative and non-business units. The Resolution of the 7th Congress of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour affirmed: "In the challenging turning point, our country's working class has shown firm political bravery, overcoming all difficulties in the initial transition to a market mechanism, enthusiastically taking the lead in the renovation process, making important contributions to socio-economic development, consolidating national defense and security, and maintaining political stability". The Congress identified the goals of trade union activities in the coming years as "Innovating trade union organizations and activities, contributing to building and protecting the Fatherland, promoting the country's economic development and social security".

Comrade Nguyen Van Tu - Member of the Party Central Committee, was re-elected as Chairman of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor.

The 9th National Assembly, its 5th session, in June 1994, passed the Labor Code. Which stipulates the role of the Trade Union organization for workers in the period of industrialization and modernization of the country. The Labor Code has institutionalized the renovation policy of the Communist Party of Vietnam and concretized the provisions of the 1992 Constitution on labor and labor management. The Labor Code defines the tasks of the Trade Union: "Participating with state agencies, socio-economic organizations, caring for and protecting the rights of workers, participating in inspecting and supervising the implementation of the provisions of labor law (Chapter 1, Article 12). The Labor Code specifically stipulates the responsibilities of trade unions in participating in building collective labor agreements (Chapter V), salary regimes (Chapter VI), and labor safety and occupational hygiene. The Labor Code dedicates the entire Chapter XIII - Trade Unions to clearly identifying the tasks that businesses are operating after 6 months of establishing trade union groups (Article 153, Article 12).

2. Period 1996 - 2005

Promoting industrialization and modernization (IZ) and developing a multi-component commodity economy according to the socialist-oriented market trend has made the Vietnamese working class have many changes in both quantitative and qualitative structure. Building the working class into a leading force in the IZ process is an urgent task, a key direction in the human resource development strategy. It is also a heavy task set for the Vietnamese trade union.

Under the leadership of the Party, the Trade Union organization has overcome many difficulties, built a strong working class, making an important contribution to political stability and socio-economic development of the country. Continuing to innovate the content and form of activities towards grassroots levels, taking care of the legitimate and lawful interests of workers and employees. The position of the trade union organization in society has gradually been raised. The international relationship of the Vietnam Trade Union has gradually expanded.

From November 3 to November 6, 1998, the 8th Congress of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour met in Hanoi. Attending the Congress were 898 delegates, representing millions of trade union members and workers, civil servants and laborers nationwide, 31 international delegations, representatives of the World Federation of Trade Unions, trade union representatives of countries in the region and diplomatic delegations. The Congress affirmed: The contingent of workers, civil servants and laborers of our country has shown firm political bravery, trust and determination to implement the renovation policy initiated and led by the Party, striving to rise in labor and work... playing a decisive role in promoting socio-economic development of the country, contributing to 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 Congress identified the goals and action slogans of the Trade Union as "For the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country".

By June 2003, the whole country had over 10.8 million workers and employees, of which workers and employees working in state agencies, Party organizations, non-business units, professional social organizations, nearly 2.6 million, in state-owned enterprises about 1.8 million, in foreign-invested enterprises 0.6 million, and about 4.3 million workers and employees working in non-state enterprises. The quality of our country's workforce in the renovation years has been raised one step, young workers and employees aged 18 to 30 account for 36.4%, the proportion of workers with high school education has been significantly improved, if in 1985 only 43.42% of workers graduated from high school, then in 2003 it increased to 76.6%. The professional qualifications of workers and employees have also been constantly improved, currently there are nearly 3 million people who have vocational training and about 1.7 million people with college degrees or higher. The workforce of workers and employees is the basic production force holding the most important material facilities and means of production, deciding the development direction of the country's economy.

However, before the requirements of the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country, the Vietnamese working class still revealed shortcomings such as: low level of education and professional qualifications compared to requirements; the number of proficient and skilled workers is very low, workers with level 2 and level 3 skills account for a large proportion, workers with level 6 and level 7 skills only account for 8.5%, the number of unskilled workers accounts for 34%, and there is a serious imbalance in the technical labor structure between workers' departments; the passion for the profession, organizational discipline awareness, and industrial style of a part of workers are still weak.

In the period of innovation, trade union activities always focus on innovating the organization, content, and methods of operation. Directing trade union activities to the grassroots level, taking workers and employees as the object of mobilization, taking care of and protecting the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of workers and employees and improving production and business efficiency as the goal of operation. Trade union levels have focused on organizing patriotic emulation movements, emulation movements for good labor, creative labor, anti-corruption, helping each other eradicate hunger and reduce poverty, and gratitude. The effectiveness of trade union activities in caring for and protecting the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of workers and employees, in participating in economic management, social management and propaganda and education to raise class awareness, organizational discipline awareness, and industrial style, has been increasingly improved, making great contributions to economic development, maintaining and stabilizing politics, and ensuring social order and safety.

From October to October 13, 2003, the 9th Vietnam Trade Union Congress was held in Hanoi. Comrade Cu Thi Hau - member of the Party Central Committee was re-elected as Chairman of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour.

The Congress set out the key tasks of the Vietnam Trade Union organization as: Continuing to promote patriotic emulation movements, focusing on emulation of good labor, creative labor with the goal of productivity, quality, and efficiency; movement to build a cultural life at the grassroots level; improving the quality of emulation movements serving industrialization, modernization of agriculture and rural development; green - clean - beautiful movement, ensuring labor safety and environmental sanitation, movement to study to improve education and skills, contributing to making products with competitiveness in the market, meeting the requirements of integration and development.

The work of developing union members, establishing grassroots trade unions, and building strong grassroots trade unions is focused on. The goal is to strive to admit at least 1 million more union members by 2008. Mobilize workers and employees to actively participate in building the Party, building a clean and strong state apparatus, and actively fight against negative phenomena.

Strengthen and expand the foreign affairs activities of the Vietnam Trade Union towards multilateralization and diversification; strengthen solidarity, friendship, and cooperation with Trade Unions of countries and relevant international organizations; contribute to the common struggle to build a world "for peace, development, progress, democracy and social justice" for the rights and interests of workers.

As of June 2005, the Vietnam Trade Union included 64 Provincial and City Labor Federations directly under the Central Government, 19 Central Industry Trade Unions and General Corporation Trade Unions directly under the VGCL, including 1,897 district, district, local industry and equivalent trade unions, 76,678 grassroots trade unions with 5.25 million union members.