Trade Union (TU) meals are not simply about increasing nutrition
In 2025, once again, the Trade Union Meal program made a special mark in caring for union members and workers. As one of about 10,000 factory workers of Canon Vietnam Co., Ltd. in Thang Long Industrial Park, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Truong could not hide his surprise and joy when participating in the Trade Union Meal. Throughout 7 years of working at the Company, Mr. Truong witnessed and participated in many activities organized by the Trade Union.
Mr. Truong said that the daily meal includes 2 main dishes, one vegetable dish, one soup dish is also enough to fill. The meal portion of the Trade Union Meal is also increased in food, so it is likely that workers will reduce the portion of rice because just the portion of food is enough. Mr. Truong also said that the food in the Trade Union Meal is decorated more beautifully than usual, so it looks more attractive...
Also sharing about the Trade Union Meal, Ms. Vu Thi Hong Ha, who has worked at the Company for 4 years, wants to have more Trade Union Meals... In particular, on this occasion, each person was also given 100,000 VND by the Trade Union.
Witnessing the joy of workers and the atmosphere of solidarity at the Trade Union Meal, Mr. Ryo Onoue - Director of Human Resources Administration - emotionally said: "There are no activities like this in Japan. Thank you to the Trade Union for creating a warm atmosphere for all workers...". According to Mr. Ryo Onoue, the Trade Union Meal is a thank you, thanking union members for always striving in their work and thereby they will be more attached to the business.
The Trade Union Meal is a testament to the activity of focusing on caring for and enhancing welfare for union members and workers from the most specific and practical things. The 2025 Trade Union Meal continues to become more substantive, towards the number of union members and workers directly producing and doing business in enterprises. Especially, focusing on large enterprises with a large number of workers and having collective kitchens every day. Most grassroots trade unions have also played a good role in mobilizing and negotiating employers to allocate resources for Trade Union Meal activities.
According to the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, the average amount spent on a meal at the 2025 Trade Union Meal is higher (68,500 VND/meal, compared to 50,300 VND/meal in 2024), the value and quality of the meal have been significantly improved.
Union members and workers assess that the Trade Union Meal is not only a simple shift meal, with material care but also of great spiritual significance, fostering solidarity, sharing and understanding between members in the organization. Most grassroots trade unions organize Trade Union Meals at the location where shift meals are organized for workers, some units without kitchens have organized them at convenient locations for workers to participate; some units organize them right on the construction site, camps; even some units organize combined resorts in tourist areas.
Reality shows that in 2025, with more than 5,000 Trade Union Meals organized nationwide, this activity bears the strong imprint of the Trade Union organization through dialogue and negotiation to better care for the practical needs of union members and workers, towards building long-term welfare programs that can be implemented long-term and regularly throughout the year. The Trade Union Meal has created an atmosphere of connection and understanding between workers and employers; workers trust the Trade Union organization, voluntarily apply to join the Trade Union, contributing to promoting the development of union members at units and enterprises.
At the same time, promote propaganda and mobilization of employers to raise awareness, continue to care for and improve the nutrition of shift meals for workers, contributing to ensuring health and regenerating labor strength so that workers can feel secure in working, competing in labor and production.
From the direct benefit of workers through the Trade Union Meal Program, the Presidium of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour orients to continue to implement the Trade Union Meal Program so that this activity becomes one of the long-term, periodic welfare programs, practically caring for union members and workers.
Most recently, in activities to care for union members and workers during the 2026 Binh Ngo Lunar New Year, the Trade Union Year-end Meal will be organized for union members and workers. The value of meals in the "Trade Union Year-end Meal" is 70,000 VND/meal from trade union financial sources, plus value from business sponsorships or other socialized sources (if any, the value is unlimited).
100% of union members are fully informed about policies and welfare care programs
Besides the Trade Union Meal, there are also many activities to care for and benefit union members and workers such as Workers' Month, Tet Reunion, Thank you NLD.
One of the major changes in caring for the welfare of union members and workers of the Vietnamese Trade Union organization is the target that by 2030 100% of union members will be fully informed about the policies and programs for caring for the welfare of the Trade Union organization. Strive to allocate at least 60% of total expenditures from trade union financial resources to activities to care for the welfare of union members and workers. The Trade Union also strives for over 80% of dialogues to have content on welfare better than the provisions of law; at least 50% of collective labor agreements signed or participating in signing by the Trade Union organization are classified as quality to be classified B or higher.
The VGCL will build and implement stable and long-term policies to care for the welfare of union members and workers such as: policies to support union members in housing; support for construction, purchase, and repair of houses; support for renting houses at trade union facilities and social housing invested and built by the VGCL.
Some solutions proposed are to implement policies to support union members and workers when facing difficulties, reduced working hours, job loss; policies to support resorts and vacations; policies to support union members and workers working in the informal sector...
