Choosing appropriate forms and contents of training
One of the goals of 2026 is that 100% of newly elected Grassroots Trade Union (CDCS) Chairmen will be trained and fostered in appropriate forms. In 2025, the Vietnam Trade Union organization focuses on arranging and streamlining the apparatus, at the provincial level there are still 49 departments; Central industry trade unions still have 17 units. The number of commune, ward, and special zone trade unions established reached 532/699; public service units decreased from 12 units to 7 units; vocational education institutions decreased from 19 to 9 units. Therefore, choosing training and fostering forms that are suitable to the actual working characteristics of the team of CDCS officials is very important.
For example, in Hanoi, immediately after the Ward and Commune Trade Union Congress, most units organized skills training for grassroots trade union officials. Some units focused on training to improve the efficiency of trade union financial management and use, transparency and efficiency such as Yen Nghia Ward Trade Union (Hanoi). Identifying trade union financial work as one of the key tasks, of particular importance to trade union activities, the Ward Trade Union promptly organized training, improved skills and nghiep vu to exchange and answer some difficulties of the grassroots level today such as updating new documents, regulations on revenue and expenditure, fund management, archiving dossiers, reporting regimes, estimation, finalization...
In particular, after arranging the local government at 2 levels, trade union work and trade union financial revenue and expenditure activities have many changes, causing confusion for trade union officials at the grassroots level...
With innovative thinking, some wards coordinate to organize training, such as the Trade Union of Hai Ba Trung, Bach Mai, Vinh Tuy wards coordinating to organize professional training for members of the Executive Committee, the Trade Union Inspection Committee of 3 wards; Chairmen, Vice Chairmen of grassroots Trade Unions, and members of the Executive Committee of units with 100 or more union members.
And the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union has coordinated with the Internationaal CNV Organization to organize training "Dialogue skills at work and effective collective bargaining" for trade union officials, business leaders representatives, trade union members of 12 businesses in the Southern region; some large brands and grassroots trade unions under the Ho Chi Minh City Labor Federation... The above examples show that trade union levels have organized training forms, improving operating skills suitable in both content and form for the team of trade union officials.
Responding to what officials are lacking - businesses are in need - employees are demanding
In the period 2020 - 2025, the work of developing a training strategy for the team of full-time trade union officials has had a clear change at many levels, both in awareness and implementation methods. Many localities, sectors and Corporations have proactively issued long-term plans, specific projects or training programs by period, which identify overall goals, targets to be achieved, key tasks and implementation solutions.
Typically, the Lao Cai Provincial Labor Federation has issued Plan No. 52/KH-LDLD and the Project on developing a team of full-time trade union officials, setting out the requirement to standardize and improve comprehensive skills for officials in the context of the province promoting industrialization and expanding industrial parks; or like the Vietnam Education Union, building a training program according to modules, grouping content according to each work field and each trade union level, helping officials have a clear and scientific learning roadmap.
The work of innovating content, methods and forms of trade union official training takes place strongly, deeply and comprehensively compared to the previous period. This is the task group with the most obvious changes in the entire Vietnam Trade Union organization system, showing the great efforts of trade union levels in the context of the complex developments of labor relations, pressure from the digital transformation process and new requirements from the practice of representing and protecting workers' rights. The training content is increasingly practical, focusing on skills, there has been an important shift from leaning towards theory and legal documents to focusing on core skill groups that trade union officials need in practice.
In particular, the courses are designed in the direction of "what officials are lacking - businesses are in need - workers are demanding". Many units reflected that the proportion of contents has increased sharply such as: Skills in resolving labor disputes, grassroots mediation, skills in participating in handling stressful situations; understanding of new labor laws, such as the 2019 Labor Code, laws on occupational safety and health, social insurance, health insurance; communication skills, skills to approach workers on digital platforms, presentation and communication skills; digital transformation skills of trade unions, management of union members on digital platforms, organizing online activities; skills in organizing movements, mobilizing union members in non-state sectors; collective dialogue and negotiation skills, especially in FDI enterprises and industrial parks...
These contents are effectively implemented by many provincial and city Labor Federations, central and equivalent industry trade unions, and General Corporation trade unions under the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, with dozens of modules being updated, systematized and standardized. Many training programs have put into practice typical dispute situations, simulated three-way dialogue practices, used video illustrations, and analyzed real cases. This is a new point compared to before, helping trade union officials "learn to do" instead of just "learn to know".
A special point is that trade unions innovate training associated with the requirements of labor relations practice - things that workers are in need of. These are training modules directly linked to hot issues of labor relations, such as: Salary negotiation, labor norms; collective dispute settlement; stabilizing labor relations in FDI enterprises; impact of digital transformation and automation on employment; skills in organizing workers' movements in the context of strong social network development... Thanks to innovating training content in this direction, many grassroots trade union officials have had clear maturity, reflected in their ability to dialogue with businesses, participate in building collective labor agreements, handle disputes and mobilize union members more effectively.
