Improving labor productivity is a top priority
On the morning of June 5, concluding the program of operating answers and explanations of ministries and sectors at the XIV Vietnam Trade Union Congress, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung said that he was very pleased to participate with leaders of central ministries and sectors in the XIV Vietnam Trade Union Congress, term 2026 - 2031.
According to the Prime Minister, this is a particularly important political event, opening a new and strong stage of development for the working class and the Vietnam Trade Union organization. On behalf of the Government, the Prime Minister sent to the Presidium of the Congress, distinguished guests, and delegates his respectful greetings, best wishes and wishes for the Congress to be successful.
The Prime Minister said that at this Congress, he and leaders of ministries, departments, and branches listened to speeches; at the same time, Ministers and members of the Government directly exchanged and discussed with delegates on the topic "Trade Unions accompany the Government to improve labor productivity and achieve double-digit growth goals".
This is a very important content, which has been deeply mentioned in the Resolution and Action Program to implement the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress. Labor productivity is one of the decisive factors in the competitiveness of the national economy, and at the same time is an important measure reflecting the quality of economic growth.
The Prime Minister highly appreciated the initiative of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor in organizing the program and selecting topics for exchange with Government members as well as with the Prime Minister. According to the Prime Minister, this is a very practical and meaningful topic for the country's development goals in the new period. At the same time, he praised and acknowledged the heartfelt, responsible, and practical speeches of the delegates attending the Congress.
Listening to the opinions, recommendations, and proposals sent to the Government and ministries, departments, and branches, the Prime Minister said that the delegates have closely followed the reality of the lives of workers in many subjects and many different areas. In particular, many proposals were made comprehensively, not only reflecting the thoughts, recommendations, and aspirations of workers but also expressing heartfelt contributions to the Government and state management agencies.
According to the Prime Minister, the opinions at the Congress represented the voices of about 10 million trade union members and workers nationwide. This shows that the Congress not only discusses internal issues of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor and trade unions at all levels, but also proactively contributes ideas to the Party and State on topical issues of national strategic significance in the process of implementing the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress.
The Prime Minister emphasized that this continues to affirm the role and important mission of the Trade Union organization and workers in accompanying the country in implementing socio-economic development tasks, ensuring national defense and security, improving labor productivity, ensuring social security and caring for the lives of workers.
On behalf of the Government, the Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to the Congress and will directly direct ministries, branches, and functional agencies to fully absorb the opinions expressed as well as the recommendations raised at this Congress for research and handling.
The overarching goal is to better meet the legitimate requirements and aspirations of workers, and at the same time create a more favorable environment for workers to feel secure in working, contributing and contributing to the development of the country.
The country is entering a new stage of development with very high goals, many challenges, but also carrying great aspirations. This requires the efforts and strong determination of the entire political system, people and the business community, determined to implement the country's strategic development goals.
The Prime Minister said that Vietnam is mobilizing all resources to successfully realize two 100-year strategic goals. Among them, the urgent task now is to achieve the goal of double-digit economic growth sustainably.
To maintain high and sustainable growth rates, the Resolution of the 14th Party Congress has identified fundamental transformation of the growth model on the basis of improving labor productivity, improving the quality of human resources, breakthroughs in science and technology, innovation and digital transformation.
Yesterday afternoon (June 4), the General Secretary and President chaired a working session to listen to the report of the Central Policy and Strategy Committee on the Project to innovate the country's development model in the new period.
This is a comprehensive and comprehensive model to design groups of tasks, solutions and policies to innovate the development model, bring the country to sustainable development, and implement strategic goals not only for this term, but also for many years to come.
One of the important contents of the project is to set out goals, policies and groups of solutions to increase labor productivity, quality, efficiency and competitiveness of the economy. This is also one of the contents proposed and contributed to the Party, State and Government by many delegates attending the Congress.
To achieve such goals, labor productivity is a comprehensive indicator reflecting the efficiency of resource use and the quality of economic growth. At the same time, it is also a measure of assessing the development level and competitiveness of each country.
Labor productivity is not only an economic issue but also a social issue, a human issue and a quality of development," the Prime Minister emphasized. This content is not only aimed at economic growth but also has strategic significance in comprehensively innovating the country's development model.
In which, economic development is one of the key tasks. Therefore, improving labor productivity, quality and efficiency of the economy is identified as one of the top priorities.
Salary policy reform project, not only for cadres, civil servants, and public employees
The Prime Minister said that the rate of labor productivity growth has been identified by the Party and the State as one of the main socio-economic development targets. Over the past time, Vietnam's labor productivity has improved but is still low compared to its potential and compared to many countries in the region as well as in the world.
In the context of increasingly fierce global competition, rapidly developing science and technology and constantly updating knowledge, the requirement to improve productivity, quality and professional skills of workers is also increasing.
Only when those requirements are met can workers adapt to development practices and meet the development requirements of the country in the coming period.
This is not only the responsibility of workers but also the common responsibility of the entire political system. In which, the Government and the business community play a particularly important role because they are the subjects directly involved in planning and implementing policies, organizing production, creating material and spiritual wealth for society, contributing to economic growth as well as improving the country's labor productivity.
The Prime Minister added that, according to the working program of the Politburo and the Secretariat in 2026, the Government is completing the National Labor Productivity Improvement Project to submit to the Secretariat for consideration and promulgation in June.
Currently, the Government has assigned the Ministry of Home Affairs to take the lead in completing the draft project, and at the same time to collect opinions from relevant agencies, ministries, and sectors. In the process of construction, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor will also participate in contributing opinions.
The Draft Project clearly defines the goal of making labor productivity an important driving force for rapid and sustainable growth. In which, improving labor productivity is linked to the development of the labor market, having solutions to create high-performance and high-quality jobs, improving the quality of human resources to meet market needs, and strongly promoting initiatives to improve labor productivity.
Identifying the development of science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as important driving forces to improve national labor productivity. This is one of the very important projects. The Government will report to competent authorities in June to, based on the conclusions of the Secretariat, lead and direct the synchronous implementation in the coming time.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the Party and State determine that to improve national labor productivity, it must start from improving the quality of human resources - one of the three strategic breakthroughs of the country.
In which, the urgent requirement today is to improve the quality of vocational training, support workers to improve their qualifications, skills, especially digital skills and adaptability to new production models.
To ensure that workers have access to science and technology, actively participate in digital transformation, improve innovation capacity and not be left behind in the digital transformation era, first of all, businesses must be pioneers in promoting this process.
The Government is committed to accompanying and supporting the business community in developing science, technology and digital transformation; supporting digital skills training, new vocational skills; supporting retraining, vocational conversion training, ensuring sustainable employment for workers.
Along with that, the Government will have mechanisms and policies to encourage and create conditions for businesses to promote training activities, promote emulation movements and promote workers' initiatives.
The Government has also assigned the Ministry of Education and Training to study the transformation of training models in a flexible direction, suitable to practical requirements and meeting the needs of businesses, especially in key sectors, strategic technology industries, adapting to the development of the digital economy.
These tasks are currently being implemented by the Ministry of Education and Training. At monthly regular Government meetings, this is one of the contents that the Government regularly reviews, evaluates the quality of implementation and supervises the implementation of ministries and sectors, in which the Ministry of Education and Training plays a core role.
The Prime Minister said that the Government will propose and request ministries and sectors to seriously absorb, actively research, concretize and adjust policies to suit the actual situation, and respond to the recommendations and proposals of delegates on improving salaries, income, working conditions and working hours.
The Prime Minister said that in the coming time, competent authorities have assigned functional agencies, strategic advisory boards of the Party and ministries and branches of the Government to study and report on the Salary Policy Reform Project, not only for cadres, civil servants, public employees, and armed forces, but also to study and propose salary policies for workers, in order to meet the needs and ensure the lives of workers in the context of many changes.
Along with that, the Government will direct the completion of legal regulations, especially regulations on initiatives. According to the Prime Minister, as the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs has discussed, regulations related to initiatives, especially the level of initiative bonuses, in the process of implementation in the past time have not been applied by many businesses and have not really created motivation for workers to promote initiatives.
The Decree on initiatives was issued in 2012. In the coming time, the Government will direct the Ministry of Home Affairs to study and propose new solutions to support businesses in promoting workers' initiatives.
According to the Prime Minister, it is possible to study policies and mechanisms on taxes to create conditions for businesses to have more motivation to promote movements to encourage workers to have initiatives.
Regarding initiatives that bring quality and efficiency to business operations, the Prime Minister believes that it is not only necessary to reward once, but it is possible to consider a reward mechanism based on the increase in business income achieved thanks to employees' initiatives. These mechanisms and policies need to be studied and reviewed for adjustment and supplementation according to the recommendations of delegates at the Congress.
The Government's viewpoint is that any worker has the right to work in a safe environment, to live in a civilized and healthy community, and to be protected against new risks arising.
This is not only a matter of ensuring the legitimate rights and interests of workers but also a premise, an important foundation contributing to increasing labor productivity, production efficiency, and business of enterprises, thereby directly contributing to the growth and quality of growth of the economy.
In addition to creating more stable and sustainable jobs, improving the quality of a safer and more civilized working environment and improving income for workers, the Prime Minister believes that the requirement to improve living standards and complete social institutions to serve workers and their families is also becoming increasingly urgent.
In which, housing issues, especially rental housing, schools, kindergartens, medical facilities, cultural houses, and sports facilities, need to be given more strong attention in the coming time.
Housing for workers must have reasonable prices
The Prime Minister as well as government leaders, ministries and sectors are very sympathetic to the reality that most workers currently do not have housing and have to rent houses in conditions where infrastructure is still limited and cramped, while rents are still high.
Conditions for caring for and improving the physical and mental health of workers are still lacking; the school and kindergarten system for children of workers and laborers is still far from workplace. These difficulties directly affect the health and peace of mind of workers, and at the same time affect productivity and work efficiency.
Over the past time, thoroughly grasping the direction of General Secretary and President To Lam, the Government and the Prime Minister have urgently and drastically directed specific tasks and solutions, especially the development of rental housing in localities, especially places with many industrial parks and many workers.
As the Minister of Construction has discussed, the most important issue in this process is the shift in thinking. From only worrying about workers owning houses to ensuring the right to have housing. This is a very strategic shift in thinking. For those who do not have the conditions to buy a house, the State will create conditions to rent a long-term, stable house, with a rental price suitable for the income and affordability of workers, not trying to buy a house.
The Prime Minister emphasized that housing for workers must have reasonable prices, and must be planned and built synchronously with cultural and social institutions serving the workers themselves such as schools, kindergartens, medical facilities, and cultural houses.
Currently, the Government is directing ministries, branches, and localities to urgently research, build, and complete mechanisms and policies to develop the housing market, prioritizing rental housing.
Based on the conclusions and directions of the General Secretary and President, the Prime Minister directly worked with Hanoi city and localities such as Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Ninh Binh, Hung Yen, Bac Ninh - places with a large concentration of workers.
The Prime Minister has directed localities to conduct a general review of planning, especially the planning of industrial parks, so that on that basis, resources can be allocated and projects to build houses for rent can be implemented immediately in June 2026.
First of all, the State budget will be used to build long-term rental housing for workers, associated with the planning of industrial parks, ensuring accompanying facilities, stable infrastructure, reasonable and long-term rental prices, thereby helping workers feel secure in their work.
In addition, we still focus on developing commercial housing, commercial housing will have many different segments to suit income, for sale, lease, and lease-purchase. This is a very large practical requirement arising in the past period.
The Government will direct the implementation very quickly. In the near future, it will work with localities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, and some large provinces and cities with many workers to implement immediately and effectively. Not only the state builds, spending money to build, but also hiring businesses to operate and manage these rental buildings.
To immediately meet the current urgent needs, the State can arrange to buy back social housing areas to serve as rental facilities to be able to meet them immediately. The Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Finance and ministries and functional sectors of the Government are being assigned to complete the basis of accompanying mechanisms and policies to support. Besides state capital, which is initial capital - bait capital, we are forced to mobilize resources in society.
And to have investors, especially private enterprises, participate and invest long-term resources like that, the State is required to have mechanisms and policies to support taxes, capital sources, and interest rates, so that businesses can access that capital source and can ensure harmonious interests between the State, businesses, people, and workers" - the Prime Minister emphasized.
Will strongly innovate the drug distribution system, the gasoline and oil distribution system
Regarding health issues, according to the Prime Minister, in the past time, the rate of workers having access to periodic health check-ups has increased sharply - increasing by about 70% compared to the previous period. This shows the great concern of the Party and State for health care for workers.
According to Resolution No. 72 of the Politburo, from 2026, periodic health check-ups or free screenings will be organized for people at least once a year according to priority groups and roadmaps. Among them, one of the priority groups is workers.
Not only stopping at health check-ups, the Prime Minister said that he has directed the Ministry of Health, after having health check-up results, to study and assess the health situation, especially for priority groups such as policy beneficiaries and workers; on that basis, propose appropriate mechanisms and policies. If diseases are detected, there must be a treatment mechanism. When there is a treatment mechanism, the State budget must allocate resources for priority groups.
Thoroughly grasping the viewpoints and policies of the Party and State, especially the strategic resolutions of the Politburo and the directions of the General Secretary and President, the Government will continue to direct ministries and sectors to seriously absorb and focus on perfecting institutions and policies to improve the investment and business environment; promote business development, create sustainable jobs; and at the same time pay attention to social security policies, especially on housing, vocational training, labor safety, health and education, as well as policies related to working hours.
Through this, we also propose that the Trade Union organization continue to strengthen dialogue and negotiation through collective labor agreements; pay more attention to taking better care of the material and spiritual lives of workers" - the Prime Minister emphasized.
A very big issue raised by the delegates is ensuring food hygiene and safety, medicine and functional food management, the Prime Minister said that he has directed the Ministry of Health, under the direction of competent authorities, to study and improve state management of this field. Previously, the responsibility for managing food hygiene and safety was related to many ministries and sectors.
In the coming time, it will be implemented in the direction that each ministry is in charge of one task, assigning one focal agency to be primarily responsible. Accordingly, the Ministry of Health will be directly assigned to manage the work of ensuring food safety and hygiene, medicine and functional food.
Regarding the issue of medicine, including drug quality and drug prices, the Prime Minister has requested the Ministry of Health to urgently submit to the Government a Project on renovating the drug distribution system in the direction of reducing intermediaries so that people and workers can access medicines at reasonable prices, while ensuring quality. This is one of the priority contents that the Government has directed the Ministry of Health to soon complete the project in the near future.
We will strongly innovate the drug distribution system, as well as the gasoline and oil distribution system in the coming time, to ensure quality and price. This is one of the priorities, which has a direct impact on the interests of workers" - the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister requested all levels, sectors, and localities, especially in places with many industrial parks and many workers, to be more proactive in paying attention to, caring for and ensuring the full and effective implementation of policies for workers. Considering this not only as a consistent and long-term political task of agencies and units but also as a strategic driving force to promote the development of localities and the country; creating conditions for workers to feel secure in their work and be attached to businesses for a long time.
The Prime Minister wishes the trade union organization to continue to be a reliable bridge between the Party, the State, businesses and workers; a common home to best promote capacity, strengths and creativity; best protect the legitimate rights and interests of workers. Above all, the trade union organization must truly understand, share, reflect thoughts, aspirations and accompany workers in the process of building and developing the country.
I agree with the fact that the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor will launch the emulation movement "Good labor, high productivity, good income" immediately after the Congress. This is a very practical initiative, which needs to be spread and deeply grasped at the grassroots level, urging workers to consciously participate, contributing to the formation of culture among union members and workers nationwide.
The Government also called on the business community to promote the application of science and technology, digital transformation in production and business; and at the same time strictly comply with the provisions of law and fully fulfill responsibilities to employees.
It is necessary to consider taking care of a safe, stable, and sustainable working environment for workers as a strategic investment of the enterprise; consider workers not only as people working for the enterprise but also as companions, creating the efficiency and success of the enterprise" - the Prime Minister said.
Through the Congress, the Prime Minister also wished each union member and worker to continue to promote the spirit of patriotism and creative labor; constantly learn and improve their professional qualifications and skills; strive to overcome difficulties and rise up so that today is better than yesterday.
In the coming time, the Prime Minister will launch the emulation movement "The whole country joins hands to develop socio-economy for the goal of sustainable double-digit growth" for the period 2026 - 2031. The Government hopes that the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, the business community and workers will actively and proactively participate in this emulation movement.
With the consensus and determination of the entire political system, workers and the business community; with the core role of the working class and the Vietnam Trade Union organization; along with the intelligence, bravery and aspiration to contribute of the labor force nationwide, the Prime Minister believes that the goals of rapid and sustainable development will be successfully implemented, building a rich, prosperous, civilized and happy country.
