Pressure from large industrial parks
After the merger, many localities are forming inter-regional industrial spaces with unprecedented scale. In Dong Thap, the production corridor stretching from Tan Huong, Long Giang, My Tho to Sa Dec, Tran Quoc Toan, Song Hau... is becoming a continuous industrial chain with an increasing density of FDI enterprises, with factories employing about 20,000 workers.
According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nhan - Chairman of the Trade Union of Industrial Parks and Economic Zones of Dong Thap - a unit currently managing about 85,000 union members and workers, the current organizational model will reveal many inadequacies if there is no specialized trade union level according to industrial space.
First of all, there is a geographical barrier. The distance between industrial parks after mergers extends hundreds of kilometers, making inspection, dialogue or handling labor disputes difficult if only managed according to the administrative boundaries of communes and wards.
The next challenge is the shortage of full-time officials. While the number of businesses and union members is increasing rapidly, especially in the FDI sector, the team of officials knowledgeable about labor law and collective bargaining is still very thin. An official in charge of many inter-regional IPs will find it difficult to respond promptly when "hot spots" in labor relations arise. Along with that is management pressure in the digital transformation process. The consolidation of data of 85,000 union members, synchronization of management software between the two old localities poses a very large workload. If there is no full-time focal point according to the industrial ecosystem, the settlement of regimes is at risk of being delayed, affecting the rights of workers.
Four pillars for the new phase model
From that reality, many opinions believe that if commune and ward trade unions directly manage grassroots trade unions in industrial parks, it will reveal inadequacies in both organizational theory and practical operation. Commune and ward trade unions are organized according to administrative - population characteristics, and do not have enough in-depth skills to dialogue and negotiate with large FDI corporations or handle complex collective work stoppages. Meanwhile, the industrial park trade union model has proven its clear practical effectiveness in large industrial centers for many years. The team of officials of this model is a specialized force that understands labor laws, closely follows businesses and has the ability to react quickly when labor disputes arise.
From the reality in industrial localities, many opinions proposed that the draft Charter of the Vietnam Trade Union (XIV term) should clearly affirm that the Industrial Zone Trade Union is the direct superior of the grassroots trade union of enterprises in industrial zones, clusters and concentrated production areas.
For the model to operate effectively, it needs to be built on four pillars:
First, strongly decentralize to the Industrial Zone Trade Union in collective bargaining, signing collective labor agreements in industries or regions; chair dialogues with FDI enterprises and quickly handle arising labor dispute situations.
Second, build a centralized digital governance system with a unified union member database.
Third, form "extended arms" at the grassroots level. For business clusters outside industrial parks, it is necessary to allow the establishment of regional, inter-commune, inter-ward Trade Union models...
Fourth, all organizational reforms must take workers as the center. The goal of streamlining the apparatus is not only to mechanically reduce focal points, but also to improve the effectiveness of representing and caring for employees.
