Improving the quality of collective labor agreements
At many businesses in Nghe An today, the preparation for negotiation and signing of collective labor agreements has been carried out methodically, becoming an important legal basis to improve the welfare of union members and workers (DV, NLD). Grassroots trade unions organize to collect workers' opinions, synthesize practical needs, consult legally and exchange many rounds with employers to find common ground. Upper-level trade unions provide professional support, provide information and remove difficulties in each negotiation content.
Some businesses are recognized as bright spots such as Hoa Sen Nghe An Co., Ltd. with better support policies for female workers on maternity leave, 24/24 accident insurance; Fu Wing Interconnect Technology Co., Ltd. with housing and travel support, policies to encourage female workers to return to work after maternity and bonuses for holidays and Tet. These models contribute to enhancing the negotiating position of the Trade Union organization, while increasing the cohesion of employees with businesses.
Up to now, the whole province has 486/569 enterprises that have signed and implemented collective labor agreements, reaching a rate of 85.4%. Among them, many agreements are assessed as of high quality, supplementing better provisions than legal regulations on increasing shift meals, supporting housing, means of transportation, holiday and Tet bonuses, taking care of welfare for female workers and supporting labor accident treatment.
The Nghe An Provincial Labor Federation currently manages 146,627 union members at 649 grassroots trade unions. For many consecutive years, Nghe An has been in the group of leading localities in the country in attracting investment, especially the FDI enterprise sector. This has led to a sharp increase in labor demand, new requirements for the working environment and welfare policies.
At the 8th Conference of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (XIII term), Mr. Kha Van Tam - Chairman of the Nghe An Labor Federation - emphasized that collective dialogue and negotiation is not only a legal requirement, but also a measure of the representative capacity of the Trade Union organization. According to Mr. Tam, TULDT is not simply a binding document but also a "common set of rules" formed from the consensus between the parties, reflecting the legitimate wishes of workers and the commitment to responsibility of businesses.
Improving employee welfare in the context of digital transformation
Besides the achieved results, the Provincial Trade Union also frankly acknowledged that there are still limitations: Some agreements are formalistic, the content repeats legal regulations; the negotiation skills of trade union officials are not uniform; the post-signing supervision mechanism in some places is still loose, causing workers' rights not to be fully guaranteed as committed.
From that practice, the Nghe An Trade Union identified the key task as improving the quality of its staff. The training focus includes negotiation skills, salary and welfare analysis skills, access to corporate financial statements to build a negotiating basis, along with timely grasping changes in labor relations. Employee opinion surveys will be strengthened through online forms, instead of just relying on direct meetings as before.
Along with improving the quality of negotiation, the supervision of the implementation of collective labor agreements will be given more attention. After signing, the terms will be made public so that employees can easily access them; and at the same time, periodically evaluate and supplement contents that are no longer appropriate. The Provincial Trade Union also aims to replicate the high-quality agreement model and honor businesses and trade union officials with effective negotiation achievements.
Dialogue, negotiation and signing of collective labor agreements are becoming the foundation for building progressive labor relations, ensuring workers' rights, helping businesses stabilize production and affirming the role of trade union organizations in the socio-economic life of Nghe An province.
