Dear leaders and former leaders of the Party, State, Vietnam Fatherland Front, Vietnam General Confederation of Labor,
Dear Presidium of the Congress,
Dear delegates, distinguished guests, and the entire Congress,
Today, I am very pleased to attend the 14th Vietnam Trade Union Congress, term 2026-2031, a great festival of the working class, the Trade Union organization and tens of millions of union members, workers, civil servants, and laborers nationwide.
On behalf of the Party and State leaders, I warmly welcome the Congress; I would like to send to generations of trade union officials, along with all union members, workers, civil servants, and laborers throughout the country my warmest regards and best wishes.
Dear delegates attending the Congress,
The 14th Vietnam Trade Union Congress takes place at a time when our country enters a new stage of development. The 14th Party Congress has clearly defined the goal of national development to 2030, vision to 2045; requiring strategic autonomy, self-reliance, confidence, rapid and sustainable development, for peace, independence, democracy, prosperity, prosperity, civilization, and happiness.
In that journey, the working class and laborers have a very important position. There is no modern industry without a modern worker team. There is no high labor productivity if workers are not trained, cared for, protected and inspired with the desire to contribute. Sustainable development cannot be achieved if the lives of workers and laborers are still difficult, if the legitimate voice of workers is not fully heard.
Therefore, this Congress is not only a term congress of the Trade Union organization, but also an opportunity for us to answer a very big question: How should the Vietnam Trade Union innovate to truly be a reliable support for workers, a solid bridge between the Party, the State and the working class, and an important force contributing to building the country in the new era.
I basically agree with the Political Report, directions, goals, and tasks set out by the Congress.
Dear delegates attending the Congress,
Throughout the Vietnamese revolutionary process, the working class has always been a pioneering force, the core of the union of workers, farmers, and intellectuals; a force directly producing material wealth, building the country's economic and technical base; and at the same time a force with organizational awareness, discipline, solidarity and political bravery.
From factories, construction sites, mines, ports, industrial parks, export processing zones, to the fields of services, technology, logistics, energy, health, education, finance, digital economy today, everywhere has the sweat, intelligence, hands and aspirations of the working class, Vietnamese workers.
In recent years, in the context of the world economy fluctuating, the labor market changing rapidly, and workers' lives still facing many difficulties, the Vietnam Trade Union organization has made many very commendable efforts. Trade union levels have participated in building policies and laws; taking care of jobs, income, welfare, housing, and working conditions; organizing many patriotic emulation movements, good labor, creative labor; supporting union members and workers in difficulties and hardships.
Movements such as "Tet Sum vay" (Reunion Tet), "Workers' Month", "Trade Union Home", union member welfare programs, legal advice, workplace discussions... have contributed to bringing trade unions closer to workers, more practical to grassroots levels. These are not just numbers, but the feelings, responsibilities and very specific sharing of the Trade Union organization with workers.
On behalf of the Party and State leaders, I acknowledge, commend and warmly congratulate the important achievements of the working class, the contingent of workers, civil servants, laborers and the Vietnam Trade Union organization in the past term.
However, we must also look directly at the limitations. Some trade union activities are still heavily administrative and movement-based, not really going deep into the issues that workers need most. The capacity to represent, dialogue, and protect workers' rights in some places is still limited. Grassroots trade unions in many businesses are still weak, not strong enough to grasp, reflect, and promptly resolve the grievances of union members.
The lives of a part of workers, especially workers in industrial parks, export processing zones, migrant workers, informal workers, general laborers, seasonal workers, are still difficult in terms of income, housing, schools for children, health, culture, and social security. Meanwhile, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and automation are rapidly changing jobs, skills and labor relations.
These issues raise very clear requirements: Trade unions must innovate faster, deeper, and more substantively. Trade unions cannot be strong if they are far from workers. Trade unions cannot be attractive if workers do not see their rights better protected. Trade unions cannot be modern if they still mainly operate with paperwork, meetings and slogans.
Dear delegates attending the Congress,
In the next term, I propose that the Vietnam Trade Union focus on a number of key tasks below.
First, it is necessary to build a modern and strong Vietnamese working class, worthy of being the pioneering force in the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country.
Today's workers not only need diligent hands, but also need knowledge, skills, discipline, industrial style, the ability to master technology and the spirit of innovation. Trade unions must work with the State, businesses, and training institutions to take care of improving professional qualifications, digital skills, and adaptive skills for workers.
Each worker must have the opportunity to study for life. Each industrial park must be a place not only with factories, but also with cultural institutions, housing, schools, healthcare, a safe and humane living environment. Caring for workers is not only supporting in difficult times, but also creating conditions for workers to grow up, progress and have a better future.
Second, take union members and workers as the center of all trade union activities.
Trade unions are born to represent, care for, and protect workers. Therefore, all programs, plans, and movements must answer the question: what do workers get, what rights are protected, what difficulties are removed, and what voices are heard.
Trade union effectiveness is not only measured by the number of meetings, the number of documents, the number of movements, but must be measured by the trust of union members, the satisfaction of workers, the quality of collective labor agreements, the number of successfully protected cases, and the level of life improvement at the grassroots level.
Where there are workers, there must be a trade union. Where the legitimate rights of workers are affected, where the trade union must have a voice. Where there is a risk of labor disputes arising, where the trade union must proactively dialogue, mediate, protect the right, protect the legitimate and lawful interests of workers.
Third, strongly innovate grassroots trade unions, considering grassroots levels as the decisive area for the vitality of the trade union organization.
Upper-level trade unions must strongly focus on grassroots levels, support grassroots trade unions in legal matters, negotiation skills, dialogue, dispute resolution, communication, data and methods of mobilizing workers. Grassroots trade union officials must be close to workers, understand workers, listen to workers' voices, speak to workers' voices, dare to protect workers by law, dialogue and responsibility.
It is not possible to let the grassroots trade union be just a place to organize movements, collect union fees, and distribute gifts on holidays and Tet. The grassroots trade union must be a place where workers come to when they have problems with contracts, salaries, insurance, labor safety, working conditions, housing, family life and essential daily issues.
Fourth, build harmonious, stable, and progressive labor relations, contributing to maintaining social stability and the country's development environment.
In a socialist-oriented market economy, the interests between the State, businesses and workers must be handled harmoniously. When a business develops, workers must have jobs, income and better living conditions. If workers are assured, attached, and creative, the business will develop sustainably.
Trade unions must improve collective resolution capacity, dialogue at the workplace, and prevent disputes early, from the grassroots level. Workers' reflections must be listened to before becoming frustrating. Small conflicts must be resolved before accumulating into hot spots.
We encourage businesses to do business effectively, innovate and deeply integrate into the global value chain; at the same time, we must require businesses to respect labor laws, ensure labor safety and hygiene, fully pay insurance, and take care of workers' lives. Investing in workers is investing in productivity, brand and long-term development of the business.
Fifth, build a modern, professional, digital, transparent and fully capable Vietnam Trade Union in the new situation.
Digital trade unions are not just about having software to manage union members. Digital trade unions must help workers easily reflect petitions, receive legal advice, look up benefits, register for support, participate in surveys, and evaluate trade union activities; help trade union organizations firmly grasp the labor situation, forecast disputes early, and take care of the right people, the right jobs, and at the right time.
The team of trade union officials must be more professionally trained in labor law, solving collective issues, social security, digital communication, data, organizational management and crisis handling. Trade union officials must be dedicated to workers, have courage in the face of difficulties, have skills to work with businesses, have persuasive ability and have prestige among workers.
Sixth, the Trade Union must participate more actively in Party building, building the political system and consolidating the social foundation of the Party in the working class.
The Trade Union must do a good job of propaganda, education, and fostering revolutionary ideals, patriotism, civic consciousness, labor discipline, professional ethics and aspirations to contribute to union members and workers. It is necessary to discover, foster, and introduce many outstanding workers to the Party for consideration and admission; so that in factories, construction sites, industrial parks, and enterprises, there are more and more party members who are direct production workers, creative workers, and have prestige with colleagues.
Dear delegates attending the Congress,
The Party, State, National Assembly, Government and the entire political system always accompany responsibly the Vietnam Fatherland Front bloc, trade unions, and workers, taking care of the lives of workers, creating a working environment, vocational training, labor safety, taking care of the lives of workers, their families, workers with housing, health, education, and rest is the responsibility of the Party and State, trade union organizations, businesses and the entire political system.
For the Vietnam Trade Union to successfully complete its tasks, I propose that Party committees, authorities, the Fatherland Front, socio-political organizations, and the business community continue to pay attention, coordinate, and create favorable conditions for the Trade Union organization to operate more effectively.
Party committees and authorities must consider caring for the working class as an important political task; regularly dialogue, listen, and promptly resolve legitimate petitions of workers and laborers. Policies on salaries, housing, insurance, vocational training, labor safety, and workers' cultural institutions must be implemented practically, with inspection, supervision, and specific results.
Around the lives of workers and workers are society, neighbors, streets, residential areas, families, grandparents, parents, siblings, children and grandchildren of workers.
Immediately after the Congress, it is proposed that the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor urgently concretize the Congress Resolution into an action program clearly defining people, tasks, responsibilities, deadlines, and results; how to make the spirit of the Congress go into each trade union level, each industrial park, each enterprise, each production group, each union member and employee.
Dear delegates attending the Congress,
The country needs a more modern, more courageous, and more creative working class. Workers need a closer, more practical, and stronger Trade Union organization. The cause of national development needs a greater contribution from tens of millions of union members, workers, civil servants, and laborers nationwide.
I believe that, with the glorious tradition of the Vietnamese working class; with the bravery, intelligence, spirit of solidarity and aspiration to rise up of the workers; with the determination to innovate of the Trade Union organization, the 14th Vietnam Trade Union Congress will open a new stage of stronger, more substantive, and more effective development.
Wishing leaders, delegates, distinguished guests and all union members, workers, civil servants, and laborers nationwide good health, happiness, and success.
Wishing the 14th Vietnam Trade Union Congress a great success.
Thank you very much. /.
