Joining the Trade Union: Practical benefits, long-term attachment
In Bac Ninh Industrial Parks, it is not difficult to see the image of new union members joining the Union just a few days after signing official contracts. This clearly shows the effectiveness of the propaganda and mobilization work of the Trade Union at all levels, while affirming the increasingly greater attraction from practical benefits for union members.
The grassroots trade union of Vietnam Diamond & Zebra Electric Company Limited (Dai Dong - Hoan Son Industrial Park) is one of the typical units in developing union members. Ms. Nguyen Thi Sam, Chairwoman of the company's Trade Union, said that after the probationary period, employees will be approached by the Trade Union staff and introduced the benefits of participating in the Trade Union organization.
"After being propagandized and mobilized, 100% of workers voluntarily joined the Trade Union organization. Currently, the company recruits about 30 workers each month. Up to now, the grassroots union has had a total of 700 union members, said Ms. Sam.
Not only at Diamond & Zebra Electric Vietnam Co., Ltd., many enterprises in Bac Ninh are also actively developing union members. At Sumitomo Electric Interconnect Products Vietnam Co., Ltd., the work of admitting union members is always carried out methodically.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hieu (born in 1997, from Nghe An), after completing a 1-month probationary period, was informed by the company's Trade Union about her rights when joining the Trade Union. After more than a year of participating in the Trade Union, I found my choice to be completely correct. I enjoy many benefits that I would not have if I had not joined the Union. All questions and wishes are also received, reflected and resolved promptly by the Trade Union, Ms. Hieu shared.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Duyen - Chairwoman of the Trade Union of Sumitomo Electric Interconnect Products Vietnam Co., Ltd., in order for employees to voluntarily participate in the Trade Union organization, in addition to propaganda, it is necessary to continuously improve the welfare of union members.
Talking to reporters, Mr. Pham Minh Hieu - Vice Chairman of the Trade Union of Industrial Parks of Bac Ninh province, propaganda and persuasion of employees to join the Trade Union right after signing an official contract is a key task that the Trade Unions always focus on.
Every month, the Trade Union of Bac Ninh Industrial Parks conducts surveys and updates information on the labor and employment situation from the Industrial Park Management Board and the Department of Home Affairs. From there, specifically identify enterprises that are eligible to establish a Trade Union organization.
After having a specific list, the Trade Union of Bac Ninh Industrial Parks sent a document guiding, along with a request for business owners to create conditions for Trade Union officials to contact and encourage employees to join the organization. At the same time, coordinate and discuss with businesses to clarify their rights and responsibilities when establishing grassroots trade unions, towards building harmonious, stable and sustainable labor relations and development.
Thanks to creative and flexible approaches, in 2024, the Bac Ninh Industrial Parks Trade Union has exceeded the target assigned by the Provincial Federation of Labor. The unit was assigned to establish 70 grassroots unions, developing 10,500 union members, but has reached 72 grassroots unions and 10,804 union members.
From the beginning of 2025 to now, the Trade Union of Bac Ninh Industrial Parks has developed 23 more grassroots trade unions, admitted 886 union members, continuing to affirm its core role in developing union members in the province.
Admitting 507,022 new union members
Not only in Bac Ninh, the work of developing union members and establishing grassroots unions is being promoted nationwide. According to the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, in the first 6 months of 2025, trade unions at all levels nationwide admitted 507,022 new union members. In Workers' Month 2025 alone, more than 220,000 new union members were admitted and over 1,100 grassroots unions were established.
Mr. Tong Van Bang - Member of the Presidium, Head of the Organizing Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, Deputy Head of the Steering Committee for Union Member Development - said: "2025 is the second year of implementing the Resolution of the 13th Congress of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, with the theme: Year of developing union members, participating in building a strong Party. The entire Vietnam Trade Union system is focusing resources to effectively develop an increase of 1,650,000 union members in 2025".
As of May 31, the total number of union members nationwide was 12,297,344 people. The whole country has newly established 2,417 grassroots unions, including 2,060 grassroots unions in the non-state sector and 190 grassroots unions in the informal sector.
Despite many positive results, the work of developing union members and establishing grassroots unions is currently facing many difficulties. According to the assessment of the Steering Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, the number of full-time Trade Union officials doing this work is still limited while the workload is getting larger.
Some economic sectors continue to face difficulties, businesses narrow production scale, reduce labor, causing union members to decrease. In the non-state sector, the situation of enterprises avoiding the establishment of trade unions still occurs in many places, especially for small and micro enterprises.
In addition, the awareness of workers in enterprises and informal workers is still limited, not paying much attention to the organization and activities of the Trade Union, causing many obstacles in propaganda and mobilization work.
In the last 6 months of 2025, the Vietnam Trade Union will continue to research and advise on the completion of the task of arranging and streamlining the apparatus according to the new model to soon stabilize operations.
Provinces, cities and sectors that are not subject to merger and consolidation should continue to maintain and improve the role and effectiveness of the Steering Committee and the Steering Committee's Working Group to develop union members and establish grassroots trade unions, striving to achieve the highest results compared to the target set for 2025. The provinces, cities and sectors that are subject to merger and consolidation must soon complete the Steering Committee and the Steering Committee's Working Group to develop union members and establish grassroots unions, striving to achieve the highest results compared to the set targets.
Research and concretize the solutions proposed by the Presidium of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor in Plan No. 185/KH-TLD in accordance with localities and sectors.
Continue to invest in strong enough financial resources, promote the launch of emulation movements and forms, promptly encourage rewards, commend, and reward collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements, outstanding achievements, good solutions, and high efficiency in developing union members and establishing grassroots unions.
Since the beginning of the year, the whole country has established 2,417 grassroots unions. Of which, non-state enterprises are 2,060 grassroots unions; informal sector - 190 grassroots unions; administrative and career sector, State-owned enterprises - 164 grassroots unions.