Flexible care
At the Trade Union of Huong Tra Ward, Da Nang City, the program "Spring of Sharing - Tet of Affection" has become a prominent highlight in the series of Tet care activities this year. Not only stopping at gifts given directly to workers in difficult circumstances, the program also shows creativity when combining the "0-dong booth" model.
With 290 gifts mobilized from socialized sources - including 10 cash gifts worth 500,000 VND/gift and 280 in-kind gifts worth 300,000 VND/gift - the Ward Trade Union has contributed to helping many families reduce the burden of year-end spending.
But the real new point lies in the 5 0-dong booths managed by ward socio-political organizations. Here, workers can personally choose rice, salted pork, pickled mustard greens, fish sauce, banh tet, coconut jam, ginger jam... without having to pay any costs.
This approach not only provides material support but also gives the recipient proactiveness, maintaining the feeling of being respected.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hung - Chairman of the Huong Tra Ward Trade Union - shared: "We hope that each gift is not only immediate support but also a message about the Trade Union organization's companionship with the people. The combination of the 0-dong booth helps people have more choices, and feel more clearly the warm and meaningful Tet atmosphere.
That bustling atmosphere spread to many other areas, each place with its own way of doing things, but sharing the spirit of extending their arms.
From children, elderly people to poor households
If Huong Tra is a zero-dong booth model, then the Trade Union of Duy Xuyen commune, Da Nang city chooses to take care of the future generation.
The program "Spring of Love - Tet for Children" has given 30 gifts worth a total of 30 million VND to children of union members in difficult circumstances. Not only giving gifts, the unit also organized a year-end buffet party, creating a space for reunion for children and families to celebrate Tet in complete joy.
In another direction, the Dien Ban Ward Trade Union, Da Nang city, expanded its attention to 20 elderly people over 100 years old. The gifts worth 400,000 VND/gift, although not large, are of profound gratitude and strengthen the relationship between the trade union organization and the residential community.
Meanwhile, the Trade Union of Hoi An Tay ward, Da Nang city organized the program "Tet jam to send love", for grassroots trade unions to compete in making jam and sending it to disadvantaged households. Each small jam box is a way to both preserve the traditional Tet style and create internal cohesion before giving out affection.
In particular, at the Trade Union of the My Son World Cultural Heritage Management Board, the "Spring of Love" program not only presented 80 gifts to poor households but also sponsored disadvantaged students, and allocated 4 million VND to support Nguyen Thi Le Huyen for 6 months of school year. The care does not stop at Tet but extends to the learning journey and future of workers' children.
Ms. Le Thi Lien - a union member participating in supporting the 0-dong booth in Huong Tra - shared: "Previously, I thought the trade union mainly cared for union members in agencies and businesses. This year, seeing the trade union expanding to poor people, elderly people, and disadvantaged children, I clearly feel the community connection role of my organization.
A common point easily noticeable during this Tet season in Da Nang is the diversification of caregivers and methods. Trade unions not only care for "the right people" but also "the right characteristics".
In places with many poor workers, the 0-dong booth model is effective; in areas with many union members, activities towards children are prioritized; in places with traditional cultural values, Tet jam becomes a connecting thread.
This can be seen as a notable shift in the activities of commune and ward trade unions in Da Nang. Instead of deploying a common model simultaneously, units have flexibly based on actual conditions, mobilized socialized resources, and coordinated with the Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations to expand the scale of care.
That proactiveness contributes to affirming the role of grassroots trade unions not only as an organization representing the rights of workers in labor relations, but also as a social institution closely linked to the community.
