According to Ms. Pham Thi Bich Duyen - Chairwoman of the Trade Union of Quy Nhon University (under the Vietnam Education Union), the Draft Report of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (XIII term) at the XIV Congress of the Vietnam Trade Union, term 2026-2031 clearly shows the spirit of innovation and determination to improve the effectiveness of trade union activities in the new context. orientations such as innovating trade union operating methods, building a team of trade union officials and comprehensively caring for union members and workers are all suitable for current practical requirements.
Orienting the innovation of trade union activities in a substantive direction, close to the needs of union members is very necessary. Trade unions not only organize movement activities but also need to strengthen their role in accompanying workers in work, life and career development. At the same time, improving the quality of the team of trade union officials is also important to meet the requirements of digital transformation and the increasingly rapidly changing working environment," Ms. Duyen said.
From the reality of grassroots trade unions in universities, Ms. Duyen proposed that it is necessary to further emphasize the requirement to strengthen the role of trade unions in the higher education sector because this is an environment that is under great pressure of transformation such as university autonomy, quality accreditation, digital transformation, internationalization of education and increasingly high requirements for scientific research and international publications. In that context, the team of lecturers, officials and employees not only faces professional pressure but also faces many issues of psychology, income, development opportunities and balance of life. Therefore, when mentioning the goal of "comprehensive care for union members and employees", it is necessary to strengthen the role of trade unions in supporting specific labor groups.
For the higher education sector, trade unions not only care about material welfare but also need to promote their role in building a healthy academic environment, supporting the improvement of professional capacity, creating conditions for scientific research, mental health care and supporting adaptation to digital transformation," Ms. Duyen emphasized.
Besides the role of protecting rights, trade unions in universities also need to strengthen the role of connecting and spreading the spirit of innovation in the young intellectual team. In fact, many young lecturers are under great pressure to study to improve their qualifications, scientific research and international publications, but the support conditions are still limited. If trade unions only stop at traditional movement activities, it will be difficult to create substantive connection with union members. Therefore, it is necessary to study models of academic trade unions, trade unions supporting scientific research or trade unions accompanying innovation to enhance the professional support role of trade union organizations in universities.
At the same time, it is necessary to pay more attention to training trade union officials in the education sector in a more specialized and flexible direction, helping trade union officials gain more knowledge about university autonomy mechanisms, communication skills, dialogue skills and professional psychological support.
In addition, trade unions need to boldly promote the digital trade union model to strengthen the ability to connect with union members. For young lecturers and public employees, interaction through digital platforms, online needs surveys, online consultations or professional connections through the digital environment will be more suitable and effective for the characteristics of today's intellectual labor.
