More rights for workers
Married in June 2026, Mr. Tran Quyen Anh, a worker at Printing Joint Stock Company No. 7 (Tan Tao Industrial Park, Ho Chi Minh City), was given 3 million VND by the company according to the Collective Labor Agreement for the period 2026 - 2028. Not only the wedding gift increased from 2 million to 3 million VND, Mr. Quyen Anh also enjoyed many new policies such as meal allowances of 48,000 VND/person/day; child support allowance of 300,000 VND/month/child; rewards for high school, university and postgraduate graduates.
That is just one of many examples showing that when collective bargaining is actually implemented, workers will have more rights that the law has not stipulated but businesses voluntarily commit to implement. At Nidec Vietnam Company, male workers whose wives have children are entitled to one more day off with full salary; workers whose grandparents and siblings have passed away are entitled to two days off with full salary. Meanwhile, Nissei Electric Vietnam Company adds many free training policies on expertise, management and Japanese to enhance career development opportunities for workers.
At Sakurai Vietnam Co., Ltd., located in Le Mon Industrial Park, Thanh Hoa province, last March, nearly 5,000 workers were considered by the enterprise for early salary increases. Not only that, the agreement also ensures that employees are rewarded with the 13th month's salary on the occasion of Tet Nguyen Dan; unpaid annual leave is paid at a rate of 300%; female workers pregnant from the 7th month are reduced working hours to 7 hours per day but still receive full salary.
Many other welfare regimes are also maintained or adjusted to increase, such as meal allowance 20,000 VND/person/day; attendance allowance 280,000 VND/month; rent support 150,000 VND/month; gasoline and seniority allowance from 150,000 - 800,000 VND/month; foreign language learning allowance from 1 - 5 million VND/person/month.
Those seemingly very small terms create a big difference in the lives of thousands of workers. Because a good collective labor agreement not only improves income but also helps workers feel the sharing and companionship of businesses. According to the Ho Chi Minh City Labor Federation, in just the first 6 months of 2026, 658 new collective labor agreements were signed; the whole city currently has more than 13,000 valid ones, nearly half of which are of type A and B quality. These figures reflect the trend that more and more businesses choose dialogue and negotiation to build stable labor relations instead of just complying with the minimum level of law.
Negotiating for joint development
Not only in Ho Chi Minh City, many localities across the country are also seeing effective collective bargaining models. Typically in Da Nang, recently the VGCL commended two outstanding grassroots Trade Union Presidents in dialogue and collective bargaining, Ms. Le Thi Hai Chau (29/3 Textile and Garment Joint Stock Company) and Mr. Le Hoan Giang (Sedo Vinako One Member Limited Liability Company).
At 29/3 Textile and Garment Joint Stock Company, when the enterprise in Duy Xuyen was merged into Da Nang, the difference in the regional minimum wage led to many inadequacies in the social insurance benefits of workers. After many months of negotiation, the Trade Union Executive Committee led by Ms. Le Thi Hai Chau persuaded the enterprise to adjust the minimum wage to be 12.4% higher than the regional regulations, and at the same time apply the regional wage level II for workers in Duy Xuyen. These contents were then included in the Collective Labor Agreement and the company's salary scale.
Ms. Pham Thi Bich Thuong, a worker at 29/3 Textile and Garment Joint Stock Company, shared that the salary adjustment not only helps workers improve their monthly income but also increases social insurance contributions, creating a better foundation for subsequent regimes. "What we feel most clearly is that the voice of workers has been heard and legitimate recommendations have become specific commitments in the agreement" - Ms. Thuong said.
Meanwhile, at Sedo Vinako Co., Ltd., many negotiation contents have also become bright spots such as annual salary increases from 3-5%, increased attendance allowances, increased seniority allowances, increased meal value, gasoline and vehicle support, 24/24 accident insurance right from the first working day and many policies specifically for female workers. Each year, these clauses bring benefits of about 23 billion VND to more than 5,000 union members and workers.
These results show that collective bargaining is not a bargaining between the two sides but a process of jointly finding solutions for businesses to develop sustainably and employees to be assured of long-term commitment.
Truly a reliable support for union members and workers
Member of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the VGCL Nguyen Anh Tuan said that the 14th Vietnam Trade Union Congress expressed the high determination of trade union levels to successfully implement the goal: Focus on developing union members, perfecting organizational models, improving operational efficiency; effectively performing the role of representing, caring for, and protecting the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of union members and workers; promoting the implementation of democracy at the workplace; propagating and mobilizing workers to innovate and create, pioneer in applying science and technology, building new production forces, improving labor productivity, contributing to building a peaceful, independent, democratic, rich, prosperous, civilized and happy country.
To achieve the above goals, the Congress set out 10 groups of striving targets; unanimously launched the emulation movement "Good Labor, High Productivity, Good Income", identifying 2 breakthroughs, 3 programs, 4 projects, 5 groups of key solutions and tasks to focus on implementation during the term.
The 97th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (July 28, 1929 - July 28, 2026) is a political event of profound significance, taking place in the context of the entire Trade Union system starting to implement the Resolution of the XIV Vietnam General Confederation of Labour Congress, determined to build a comprehensively strong, modern, professional Trade Union organization, truly a reliable support for union members and workers.
This is an opportunity for officials, union members, workers, civil servants, and laborers nationwide to review the glorious traditions of the working class and the Vietnam Trade Union organization; affirm the role, historical mission, and great contributions of the working class and the Trade Union organization in revolutionary periods; and at the same time strongly arouse patriotism, aspiration to contribute, and the will to innovate and create, contributing to the successful implementation of the goal of developing a prosperous and happy country in the new era of national development.
