Bringing legal advice to the grassroots level
Talking to PV of Lao Dong Newspaper, Ms. Trinh Thi Hoa - Vice Chairwoman of Thanh Hoa Provincial Labor Federation - said that the Provincial Labor Federation has just organized a professional training conference for the team of legal consultants under the Legal Consulting Group of Thanh Hoa Trade Union.
The activity aims to improve professional knowledge and skills for grassroots trade union officials, and at the same time strengthen coordination in caring for and protecting the legitimate and lawful rights of workers.
According to Ms. Hoa, labor relations at enterprises are increasingly diverse, arising many problems regarding salaries, contracts, working hours, insurance and occupational safety and health. Meanwhile, a part of workers still have limited access to the law, do not firmly grasp their rights or are confused when their rights are affected.
From this reality, the Thanh Hoa Provincial Labor Federation determined that building a network of trade union legal advisory groups close to the grassroots level and close to workers is necessary, both helping to answer problems and contributing to building harmonious and stable labor relations.
The legal advisory group not only performs the task of simple advising but needs to gradually become an extended arm of the trade union at the grassroots level; is the core force in grasping the situation of workers, supporting dialogue, preventing disputes, and participating in building harmonious, stable, and progressive labor relations" - Ms. Trinh Thi Hoa emphasized.
According to the orientation, the team of consultants not only receives and answers problems, but also closely follows businesses, residential areas, and workers' boarding houses to listen to the thoughts and aspirations of workers.
Protecting rights in the digital age
At the training conference, representatives of Thanh Hoa Provincial Social Insurance guided consultants on skills to identify violations of the law on social insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance; methods of monitoring businesses for debt, late payment, and evasion of insurance contributions.
According to Ms. Trinh Thi Hoa, in the context that Thanh Hoa still has a situation of enterprises owing social insurance for a long time, this content is very practical. When trade union officials and legal consultants firmly grasp their nghiệp vụ, they will be more proactive in detecting signs of violations, monitoring the implementation of enterprise policies and supporting employees to protect their legitimate rights.
Not only stopping at the field of labor and insurance, the Legal Consulting Group is also identified as a force accompanying the government in digital transformation, administrative reform and implementation of Project 06 in Thanh Hoa.
Accordingly, advisory groups will support union members and workers to access electronic identification, use online public services, implement non-cash social security payments, access digital platforms and raise vigilance against online fraud.
According to the Thanh Hoa Provincial Labor Federation, the model of a grassroots legal advisory group shows that the Trade Union organization is strongly shifting from administrative activities to serving, accompanying and supporting union members with specific actions.
Through this model, Thanh Hoa Trade Union affirms the role of workers as a fulcrum, a bridge between workers and businesses and the government; contributing to protecting rights, preventing disputes, and building stable and sustainable labor relations.
