Below is the opinion of Mr. Huynh Vinh Lam - Chairman of Ben Thanh Ward Trade Union, Ho Chi Minh City - contributing opinions to the draft Charter of the Vietnam Trade Union submitted to the XIV Congress of the Vietnam Trade Union:
Through studying the draft Trade Union Charter expected to be submitted to the 14th Congress of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour in the near future, I believe that the charter has not really shifted the focus of power, resources and responsibilities to the ward trade union. If not amended, the ward trade union will become an "administrative intermediary level", bearing a very large burden but not having enough authority, human resources and mechanisms to handle practical issues at the grassroots level.
I propose that the draft should be amended in the spirit of taking the ward trade union as the center to organize the implementation of the task of representing, caring for, and protecting workers; strongly transferring powers, resources and operating mechanisms from the City Labor Federation to the ward level. Specifically, Article 7 of the draft stipulates "commune, ward, special zone trade unions..." in the same group as many other models. This does not reflect the actual role of commune, ward, special zone trade unions after the merger process no longer has a district level. It is proposed to amend it to "Commune, ward, special zone trade unions are the level of trade unions directly managing, representing, directing and supporting grassroots trade union activities in the area; are the core organization level in performing the task of representing, caring for, and protecting workers in the locality".
In Article 18, the draft stipulates the role of commune, ward, and special zone trade unions as guiding, supporting, and coordinating grassroots trade unions, which is not suitable for reality because after the merger, commune, ward, and special zone trade unions must directly manage hundreds of grassroots trade unions, resolve disputes, supervise enterprises, and organize all trade union activities in the ward. Therefore, it is necessary to supplement regulations that commune, ward, and special zone trade unions are directly allowed to manage, inspect, and evaluate grassroots trade union activities; decide to classify, consolidate, or propose dissolution of grassroots trade unions that are no longer operating. Commune, ward, and special zone trade unions are the focal points for receiving, supporting, and participating in resolving labor disputes, collective work stoppages, and violations of labor regimes and policies in the area. At the same time, commune, ward, and special zone trade unions are entitled to summon, coordinate, and assign grassroots trade union officials to participate in
In addition, it is also necessary to stipulate that commune, ward, and special zone trade unions are prioritized to allocate financial resources commensurate with the number of union members, grassroots trade unions and the complexity of labor relations in the area. Therefore, it is also necessary to stipulate that communes, wards, and special zones with a large number of union members, businesses, and grassroots trade unions are arranged with a suitable number of full-time trade union officials to meet the requirements of representing, protecting, and caring for union members and workers.
