Mr. Chairman, Directive No. 58-CT/TW dated January 10, 2026 of the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee sets out requirements on "Strengthening the Party's leadership over propaganda, political, ideological, and legal education for workers in the new situation". Please tell us, Chairman, how is the Trade Union organization implementing it?
- Chairman NGUYEN ANH TUAN: This is a very important Directive, continuing to show deep concern, marking a change in the Party's thinking about caring for the construction of the working class and the Trade Union organization. The past time has mainly focused on caring for the material and spiritual life of workers, while propaganda and political, ideological, and legal education are supplementary measures. In the coming time, caring for the material and spiritual life must go hand in hand with improving political bravery, legal knowledge, industrial style, and labor discipline. This not only contributes to building an increasingly modern and strong working class, building harmonious, stable, and progressive labor relations, contributing to improving labor productivity and business efficiency of enterprises. Through this, the Vietnam Trade Union organization truly brings value not only to union members and workers but also brings common value to the economy and the country.
With Directive 58, political, ideological, and legal education for workers in the new situation must be considered a task of the entire political system under the leadership of the Party and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour plays a core role. To effectively implement the Directive, on April 13, 2026, the Party Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour issued Action Program No. 09-CTHĐ/ĐUTLĐ directing and implementing the Directive throughout the Trade Union system; directing the Presidium of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour to organize a national conference to study and thoroughly implement the Directive. The conference took place in the form of online connection to 35 bridge points nationwide with the participation of key officials of Party committees at all levels directly under it, Chairmen, Vice Chairmen, officials directly advising on propaganda and education work of trade unions in provinces and cities, central industry trade unions, and Trade Unions of Corporations directly under the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour. The Vietnam General Confederation of Labour requests trade union levels to urgently develop programs and plans to effectively implement In which, press and publishing agencies of the Trade Union organization need to identify responsibilities and important roles in implementing the Directive.
The working class is the revolutionary leadership class through the vanguard team of the Communist Party. Therefore, propaganda and education to raise class awareness, political bravery, legal knowledge, and industrial style for workers are mandatory requirements. To effectively implement that task, it is necessary to actively innovate the content and forms of propaganda, especially innovate and improve the effectiveness of propaganda, mobilization, and education models for workers. For example, innovate the organization of Workers' Month activities in the near future.
Mr. Chairman, the Chairman mentioned Workers' Month 2026 with innovations. Please tell us how these innovations are specifically reflected?
- This year's Workers' Month begins at a time of important historical significance, commemorating the 140th anniversary of International Labor Day (May 1, 1886 - May 1, 2026). The VGCL will organize a series of practical and meaningful activities to celebrate this important holiday and kick off the 2026 Workers' Month. The highlight and also the new highlight is the parade program of 1,000 workers of all professions. This is an activity that both demonstrates the worker force and propagates to workers to understand the tradition of revolutionary struggle, affirming the important role and contribution of the working class and the Trade Union organization to the revolutionary cause under the leadership of the Party. Along with that is the solemn celebration of the 140th anniversary of International Labor Day and commending outstanding grassroots trade union presidents in collective dialogue and negotiation in 2026, who are keeping the fire of fighting to protect the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of union members and workers every day.
After that opening activity, Workers' Month 2026 with the theme "Vietnamese Workers: Innovation, improving labor productivity" will take place simultaneously at all levels of trade unions nationwide with many new programs and activities such as: Forum "Union members contribute ideas to build Vietnamese Trade Unions in the new era"; Day "Labor Skills - Sustainable Employment"; Peak Month promoting the innovation movement, digital initiatives, improving labor productivity...
The forum "Union members contribute opinions to build the Vietnam Trade Union in the new era" is a widespread political activity among union members and workers before the 14th Congress of the Vietnam Trade Union; promoting democracy, the central role of union members and workers; gathering opinions, recommendations, and aspirations of union members and workers to contribute opinions to build and complete the Documents of the 14th Congress of the Vietnam Trade Union, the Charter of the Vietnam Trade Union (amended), and complete the organizational model, improving the effectiveness of trade union activities in the new context.
In addition, based on the actual situation, trade union levels proactively coordinate with businesses, vocational education institutions, job service centers, consulting and support centers for workers and relevant agencies to organize the "Sustainable Skills - Employment Day" Program, ensuring practicality, efficiency, and suitability to the conditions of each industry and locality. Focus on organizing consulting and orienting activities to improve professional skills, digital skills, and skills to adapt to the requirements of the labor market in the context of digital transformation, green transformation and international integration; introduce and guide workers to participate in retraining programs, skills improvement training, and career change. Organize activities to directly connect workers with businesses in need of recruitment; provide information on labor needs, job positions, working conditions, wages, regimes, policies; support workers to access stable and sustainable job opportunities, contributing to solving employment, improving income and quality of life for workers.
Another new activity is that trade union levels organize launching and promoting the movement of innovation, digital initiatives, and improving labor productivity, contributing to the goal of double-digit growth. Grassroots trade unions strengthen propaganda and mobilize union members and workers to participate in responding and proposing initiatives and solutions for innovation and digital transformation suitable to job positions and actual conditions in groups, lines, workshops, departments, and divisions, contributing to improving labor productivity. Coordinate with employers to guide, receive, summarize, and evaluate initiatives; promptly support the implementation of feasible and effective initiatives...
The goal is to strive for 70% of enterprises with 100 or more employees to implement at least 1 activity in response to Workers' Month 2026. Strive for 10% of union members and workers to participate in proposing initiatives, technical improvements, and solutions to improve labor productivity; of which at least 30% of initiatives will be applied in practice at agencies, units, and enterprises.
One of the key activities of the Vietnam Trade Union organization is developing union members and establishing grassroots trade unions. Workers' Month is also a peak month for developing union members and establishing grassroots trade unions; introducing the development of party members and workers. Please, Chairman, analyze clearly the meaning of this activity?
- Developing union members and establishing grassroots trade unions is the top important political task of the Trade Union organization. This is a task that is carried out regularly and continuously. However, Workers' Month is identified as a peak time to develop union members through propaganda, education and care for practical benefits for workers organized simultaneously and widely throughout the country. Workers' Month 2026 is also identified as a peak month to create a breakthrough in union member development and establishment of grassroots trade unions, especially in enterprises outside the state sector, sectors without labor relations. This is also an opportunity for trade union levels to discover and introduce outstanding union members for Party committees to foster and consider admitting them to the Communist Party of Vietnam, contributing to building the Party organization in enterprises.
In 2026, the Vietnam Trade Union organization strives to develop and actually increase at least 1,000,000 trade union members. Strive for at least 95% of workers working in organizations and units that do not receive 100% salary from the State budget, state-owned enterprises to be trade union members. Strive for at least 90% of workers working in non-state-owned enterprises to be trade union members. Continue to encourage the development of union members in areas without labor relations, contributing to protecting the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of workers, and maintaining social order and safety in localities.
Regarding the establishment of grassroots trade unions, strive for most enterprises with 20 or more employees to establish grassroots trade unions. In enterprises that do not have employee representative organizations, most employees are gathered and participate in the activities of the Vietnam Trade Union. For areas without labor relations, focus on establishing grassroots trade unions in stable industries with development trends. Encourage piloting and replicating grassroots trade union organization models in an open, flexible, and practically suitable direction.
To achieve the set goals, I emphasize the requirement to strongly innovate the content and methods of propaganda and mobilization, improve the effectiveness of gathering workers, developing union members, and establishing grassroots-level trade unions. Accordingly, trade union levels proactively build and compile propaganda content and materials to ensure that they are easy to understand, easy to remember, easy to implement, suitable for each target group, each type of enterprise, industry and area. The content of propaganda focuses on introducing the role and function of the Trade Union organization, the practical benefits of workers when participating in trade unions; the responsibilities and benefits of organizations and business units when there is a grassroots Trade Union organization. Trade union levels focus on building a team of officials working on developing union members and establishing grassroots trade unions, sufficient in quantity, solid in quality, with bravery, skills, experience, understanding of labor laws, trade unions and grassroots practices. In localities and sectors with a large number of workers, research and develop projects to establish centers for consulting and supporting workers; build a network of collaborators, consultants, propagandists, and core groups at the grassroots level; implement the signing of coordination regulations, assign specific targets and have appropriate support and remuneration mechanisms. Organize training and fostering knowledge, skills, and methods for 100% of officials directly involved in union member development and establishment of grassroots-level trade unions; pay attention to training in a practical direction, associated with specific situations, avoiding formality. For units, organizations, and businesses that have established grassroots trade unions and upper-level trade unions, it is necessary to guide, support, provide documents, and guide the grassroots trade union executive committee to directly propagate and mobilize workers who are not yet union members to join the Vietnam Trade Union. It is necessary to diversify forms of propaganda and mobilization; combine direct propaganda with propaganda through the media, social networks, digital platforms; pay attention to visual images, practical stories, typical models, creating spread and high persuasiveness to attract workers to actively participate in the Vietnam Trade Union organization.
The sustainable foundation of union member development is to improve the quality and efficiency of grassroots-level trade union activities. Therefore, it is necessary to continue to innovate the content and methods of operation of grassroots-level trade unions in a practical and effective direction, taking union members and workers as the subjects to mobilize and be the subjects to decide on tasks and operating results of grassroots trade unions. Upper-level trade unions strengthen the role of guiding, supporting, accompanying, promptly removing difficulties and obstacles, creating conditions for grassroots trade unions to operate smoothly. The content of activities of grassroots-level trade unions must focus on issues directly related to the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of union members and workers, associated with political tasks, operating goals, production and business of units, businesses, localities, and sectors. Promote patriotic emulation movements among union members and workers; pay attention to activities to ensure the rights and care for the material and spiritual life of union members and workers; promptly grasp and listen to thoughts and aspirations, solve urgent and legitimate issues, thereby creating trust and motivation for workers to join and stick with the Vietnam Trade Union organization.
Along with that, it is necessary to ensure financial resources for union member development and establishment of grassroots-level trade unions, and to promote the application of information technology and digital transformation in union member development and establishment of grassroots-level trade unions. Building, managing, and effectively using union member data to ensure synchronicity, consistency, accuracy, and timeliness. Building and developing digital platforms, mobile applications, social networks, and other online channels for workers to easily access information, register to join trade unions, and participate in trade union activities; gradually modernizing management, administration, and service for union members.
Thank you very much, Chairman!
