Labor disputes decrease
The thematic conference "Promoting the role of Trade Union organizations in implementing democracy at the grassroots level associated with building harmonious and stable labor relations in enterprises" was organized by the Steering Committee for implementing Democracy at the grassroots level and building Party organizations and socio-political organizations in enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City (Steering Committee) on July 24.
Attending the program were Ms. Van Thi Bach Tuyet - Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, Head of the Steering Committee; representatives of agencies, departments, branches and a large number of trade union officials in Ho Chi Minh City.
Mr. Bui Thanh Nhan - Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Labor Federation - said that in the past time, trade union levels in Ho Chi Minh City have proactively coordinated with the government and businesses to implement the Law on Implementing Democracy at the Grassroots level. In the first 6 months of 2026, trade union levels have organized 7,551 employee conferences, 7,232 dialogues at the workplace, signed 658 new collective labor agreements (CLAs), raising the total number of CLAs in the whole city to 13,021, reaching a rate of 56%.
According to Mr. Nhan, the organization of employee conferences has made strong changes in quality, being substantive and voluntary, thereby contributing to building harmonious, stable, progressive labor relations and reducing labor disputes.
However, the implementation of democracy at the grassroots level still faces difficulties and challenges. Some businesses have not paid due attention to dialogue at the workplace; the quality of collective bargaining is not uniform, in some places the quality and content of dialogue are still not substantive; information disclosure in some places is still formalistic. In addition, the situation of late and evasive social insurance payments still occurs in many businesses, posing a risk of labor disputes, limiting the quality of dialogue and bargaining.
Ms. Luong Thi Toi - Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Home Affairs - also said that the implementation of grassroots democracy regulations has contributed to limiting labor disputes, reflected in the fact that the number of cases and the number of people participating in collective labor disputes have decreased in recent years.
Not only seeing the implementation of democracy at the grassroots level as protecting workers
Mr. Dang Huy Cuong - Trade Union of PouYuen Vietnam Co., Ltd. - said that the company fully discloses the production and business situation, labor regulations, salary scales, types of allowances, welfare regimes and working conditions according to regulations. The information is posted on the notice board, disseminated through the company's internal loudspeaker system and electronic information channels.
Every year, the company organizes employee conferences in accordance with regulations, ensuring the participation of employee representatives from departments. At the conference, employees are directly dialogued with company leaders, proposing recommendations on salaries, working conditions, occupational safety and health and welfare regimes. Many legitimate recommendations of employees have been received and resolved promptly by the company's board of directors.
Businesses must put employees at the center of development, sustainable labor relations cannot be built on the foundation of one-way imposition. When businesses truly consider employees as the most important assets, voluntarily publicize information, listen to and resolve petitions in a substantive way - that is the foundation of democracy at the grassroots level," Mr. Cuong emphasized.
Speaking to direct the conference, Ms. Van Thi Bach Tuyet requested relevant state management agencies and Ho Chi Minh City trade union organizations to clearly understand to trade union officials and employees that the implementation of democracy at the grassroots level associated with building harmonious, stable, and progressive labor relations is to help businesses stabilize and develop more, and not just consider the implementation of democracy at the grassroots level as protecting employees.
Ms. Tuyet also suggested that Party committees and local authorities should proactively coordinate with the Ho Chi Minh City trade union organization to establish new grassroots trade unions and develop union members in enterprises that do not yet have trade union organizations.
The Ho Chi Minh City trade union organization must strengthen the application of information technology and digital transformation to promptly grasp the thoughts and aspirations of workers, and provide substantive support to workers in difficult circumstances. At the same time, functional agencies must coordinate to compile statistics and thoroughly resolve the situation of late payment and evasion of social insurance, which seriously affects the rights of workers," Ms. Tuyet emphasized.
