On February 5, the Presidium of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor held a conference to disseminate and implement the Trade Union Law 2024 and the Social Insurance Law 2024.
Presenting the new contents of the Trade Union Law 2024, Mr. Ngo Duy Hieu - Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor said that the amendment of the Trade Union Law ensures the requirements of international integration; complies with international agreements and conventions; selects international experiences as well as resolves shortcomings and problems after more than 10 years of implementing the Trade Union Law 2012.
The Trade Union Law 2024 consists of 6 chapters and 37 articles (an increase of 4 articles compared to the Trade Union Law 2012), taking effect from July 1, 2025.
Mr. Ngo Duy Hieu stated that the 2024 Trade Union Law expands the right to establish, join and operate trade unions for people working in areas without labor relations, attracting new groups such as technology drivers to join trade unions and having policies to take care of them.
The 2012 Trade Union Law stipulates that only workers “working in agencies, organizations, and enterprises” have the right to establish, join, and operate trade unions.
The 2024 Trade Union Law is amended to extend the right to establish, join and operate trade unions to those who “work without labor relations” by stipulating that “Vietnamese workers have the right to establish, join and operate trade unions” in Clause 1, Article 5.
At the same time, supplement and legalize the concept of "grassroots trade union". Accordingly, a grassroot trade union is a basic organization of the Vietnam Trade Union, gathering people who work without labor relations, in the same industry, same profession or other specific workers.
Thus, the Law has expanded its scope of regulation to include workers without labor relations, compatible and synchronized with the expansion of the scope of regulation of a number of newly promulgated laws such as the Labor Code, the Law on Social Insurance, the Law on Labor Safety and Hygiene, etc., in line with the Party's direction on developing trade union members in the new situation with the motto "where there are workers, there are trade unions".
The 2024 Trade Union Law also expands the rights to join and participate in trade union activities of foreign workers working under labor contracts of 12 months or more and specifically stipulates them in the Vietnam Trade Union Charter. It also adds the rights of union members such as enjoying social housing policies of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor or being commended and rewarded for achievements in labor, production and trade union activities.
More specifically regulate the rights and responsibilities of representing, caring for and protecting the legitimate and legal rights and interests of union members and workers; supplement the rights of the Union to supervise and provide social criticism; supplement cases of exemption, reduction and suspension of payment of union fees; amend and supplement regulations to clarify the principles of management and use of union finances; supplement regulations on the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor to decentralize the collection and distribution of union fees...
