Contributing significantly to consolidating and promoting the strength of national unity
Since its establishment on July 28, 1929, the Vietnam Trade Union has always been closely associated with the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation, affirming its irreplaceable role in the political system and in the great national unity bloc.
The Vietnam Trade Union was born under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, marking an inevitable development of the Vietnamese workers' movement, reflecting the maturity of class awareness and the spirit of solidarity and struggle of workers. From the very beginning, the Vietnam Trade Union was not only an organization representing the rights of workers but also an important political and social force in building the great national unity bloc under the leadership of the Party.
After the August Revolution in 1945, the Vietnam Trade Union, together with other socio-political organizations such as the Viet Minh Front, Farmers' Association, Women's Union, etc., contributed to the formation of the foundation of the inter-Vietnam Front, later the Vietnam Fatherland Front. The trade union is one of the founding members, and is always the core force in all movements of patriotism, resistance, and patrioticism. That role is demonstrated in mobilizing and gathering workers, civil servants, and laborers to participate in emulation movements for production, thrift, support for resistance, protect national independence, and build socialism.
It can be seen that the early birth, pioneering and attachment to the Party are important factors for the Vietnam Trade Union to maintain its founding position and pillar in the great national unity bloc. This is both the result of the history of the working class's struggle and an objective requirement of the Vietnamese revolution.
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Duong Van Sao - former member of the Presidium of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, former Principal of the Trade Union University, the Trade Union is a bridge connecting the Party, State with workers, playing the role of an economic school, a management school and a socialist school. The activities of the Trade Union in recent years have not only participated in economic and social management, agency and unit management but also represented and cared for, protected the legitimate and legal rights and interests of workers; built harmonious, stable and progressive labor relations; created motivation to encourage workers to work with high productivity, quality and efficiency. The work of propagating, mobilizing, and organizing workers to pioneer in implementing the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's laws and policies, resolutely fighting against social evils, building an advanced Vietnamese culture with strong national identity has been carried out regularly, with quality and efficiency.
As a member organization of the Fatherland Front, Trade Union activities have made important contributions to economic and social development.
Throughout more than 95 years of construction and development, the Vietnam Trade Union has always performed well its role of representing, caring for, and protecting the legitimate and legal rights and interests of workers, while actively contributing to strengthening solidarity between classes and classes in society. One of the central tasks of the Trade Union is to build a strong working class, closely linked to the farming class and intellectuals - three key forces in the great national unity bloc. The trade union is not only a place for workers to express their will and aspirations, but also a bridge between the Party, the State and workers, thereby strengthening the people's trust in the Party's leadership.
Promoting the role of pillars in the new era
Entering a new era, especially industrialization, modernization and international integration, the Vietnam Trade Union continues to affirm its pillar role by organizing many movements and effective activities. One of them is that the Vietnam Trade Union is determined to innovate in implementing its core task of representing, caring for, and protecting the legitimate and legal rights of union members and workers. The task is demonstrated comprehensively and practically, in which political representation - that is, the Trade Union representing workers in relations with the Party and the State. Regularly representing the Trade Union, the Trade Union participates in negotiating and signing Collective Labor Agreements, protecting the legitimate and legal rights of workers in labor relations. Social representation is reflected in the Union's care and support for the lives and welfare of union members and workers.
According to statistics from the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor in 2024, about 78% of enterprises with grassroots trade unions have signed Collective Labor Agreements, many of which have higher content than the law on wages, working hours, rest, occupational safety and hygiene... Many local labor federations set a goal of striving to reach 95% of enterprises with trade unions signing Collective Labor Agreements by the end of the term. Currently, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor and the provincial Labor Confederations have been making efforts to support grassroots trade unions to improve their negotiation capacity, sign Collective Labor Agreements, and increase propaganda and legal consultation.
The Vietnam Trade Union always focuses on taking care of the lives of union members and workers. Typical examples include Tet Sum vay programs with the organization of giving gifts, supporting train and bus tickets, organizing the transportation of millions of workers back to their hometowns to celebrate Tet. From the initiative of Lao Dong Newspaper, in 2015, for the first time, the Tet Sum Vay program was held. Ten years later, by 2024, 186,944 programs will be organized at all levels of trade unions, attracting over 33 million cadres, union members, and workers to participate and receive gifts. At the program, more than 26.2 million union members and workers in difficult circumstances were cared for and given gifts with a total amount of over VND 10,617 billion, of which nearly VND 5,847 billion was mobilized from socialized sources (accounting for 55%).
With practical activities, the Vietnam Trade Union - a member of the Fatherland Front - has truly been a reliable support for millions of union members and workers, contributing to building progressive, harmonious and stable labor relations in the new era.
Not only does it do a good job of representing, caring for, and protecting the legitimate and legal rights of union members and workers, as a pillar member of the great national unity bloc, the Vietnam Trade Union also organizes many effective emulation movements. In particular, the Trade Union participated in the movement "The whole country joins hands to build new rural areas" through calling on union members and workers to actively respond, contribute their efforts and intelligence to build new rural areas. This is a movement carried out by the cooperation of the whole society, including the Vietnam Fatherland Front and member organizations, including trade unions at all levels. The union has mobilized and encouraged union members and workers to participate in new rural construction activities; contributed to improving the material and spiritual life of rural people; built good models and creative ways of doing things in new rural construction, especially promoting the role of the union in supporting economic, cultural and social development in rural areas.
Emulation movements organized by the Trade Union have attracted a large number of cadres, union members, and workers to participate, bringing high efficiency to the whole society. One of them is the patriotic emulation movement such as "Good workers, creative workers", "Green - Clean - Beautiful, ensuring occupational safety and hygiene", contributing to increasing productivity, product quality, and enhancing the position of workers.
Notable is the program "1 million initiatives - efforts to overcome difficulties, creativity, determination to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic" to arouse the creativity of union members and workers to overcome difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and contribute to the economic recovery. Taking place from September 1, 2021 to September 1, 2023, the program received active response from union members and workers and attracted 2,409,104 initiatives from trade unions at all levels, far exceeding the original target.
The program is one of the effective solutions to concretize the policies of the Party, State and the Presidium of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor to join hands to effectively control the COVID-19 epidemic, gradually recovering and developing the country's socio-economy. At the same time, enhance the position and role of Vietnamese union members and workers through promoting initiatives and creativity; affirming the spirit of solidarity, responsibility, self-reliance, pioneering and creative role of the working class and the Vietnam Trade Union to realize the aspiration to build a strong, prosperous and happy country.
Throughout more than 95 years of construction and development, the Vietnam Trade Union has always performed well its role of representing, caring for, and protecting the legitimate and legal rights and interests of workers, while actively contributing to strengthening solidarity between classes and classes in society.
In 2025, emulation movements of the Trade Union organization were launched focusing on "Innovation, creativity, and efficiency in Trade Union activities" and encouraging union members, workers, civil servants, and laborers to promote initiatives, improve productivity, labor quality, and sense of responsibility. These activities aim to contribute to the country's socio-economic development in the period of 2025-2030. The most important thing in emulation movements launched and implemented by the Trade Union is that they all have specific criteria, those criteria are specified by trade unions at all levels in accordance with the practical conditions of the unit, so they always attract a large number of union members and workers to respond and participate.
Entering a new development stage with many opportunities and challenges, the role of the Trade Union becomes even more important and needs to be strongly innovated to be worthy of being a pillar of the great national unity bloc. Therefore, the Vietnam Trade Union has been, is and will continue to innovate its content and methods of operation, focusing on the grassroots, focusing on the legitimate needs and aspirations of union members and workers. Trade unions must truly be a reliable support for workers, especially in non-state enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises. Trade unions strengthen political and ideological education, foster awareness of the working class, raise sense of responsibility, patriotism, discipline, and industrial style. This is the basis for building a team of workers capable of mastering modern science and technology, contributing to the sustainable development of the country.
In particular, to continue promoting the role of political and social representation in the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Vietnam Trade Union needs to actively participate in supervision and social criticism, contributing to building a clean and strong Party and State; at the same time, fighting against dividing and sabotage discourses of hostile forces.
