Must innovate the content and methods of operation
During his tenure as President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (term 1978 - 1980), comrade Nguyen Van Linh persistently oriented the innovation of trade union thinking from institutionalization to practical activities to care for, protect and promote the role of workers in the cause of national construction. He clearly identified the need to innovate the content and methods of operation so that the trade union can promote its great role for the working class and the whole society, attracting more and more workers and civil servants to participate, so that the trade union can truly become a strong driving force, arousing all the potential and intelligence of workers and civil servants in labor and production; in participating in managing their own units and the whole society.
He pointed out: To maintain and develop production, it is necessary to first take care of the material and spiritual life of workers. Grassroots leaders must always be close to workers, grasp the situation and promptly commend and promote new talents". From there, he has directed trade unions at all levels to gather and mobilize workers and laborers to enthusiastically compete in labor production, complete the plan; organize and gradually improve their lives, develop welfare, protect the legitimate interests of workers and civil servants; mobilize cadres and civil servants to actively participate in improving factory management, economic management, and State management; improve working methods, and build strong trade unions.
Becoming General Secretary at the 6th National Party Congress (1986) - The starting point for the country's comprehensive renovation, in his position as the highest leader of the Party, he continued to pay attention to directing trade union innovation. To innovate trade union activities, he noted that first of all, trade union officials must innovate their thinking and style, closely linking theory and practice. On the basis of changing thinking and correctly recognizing the position, role and functions of trade unions in the new period, only then can trade union activities be innovated. He said: "Being a union cadre means being brave, daring to sacrifice personal rights for the rights of workers; not being reached reached at all, not being too rigid; being flexible but not illegal; determined but not exaggerated".
In the context of national renewal, comrade Nguyen Van Linh pointed out that the campaign subjects of trade unions must be expanded, trade union activities must not only be limited to the team of cadres, workers, and civil servants of the State but must also cover the private enterprise sector, foreign-invested enterprises, industrial production, construction, and transportation cooperatives. Therefore, under the direction of Comrade Nguyen Van Linh and the Party Central Committee, in October 1988, the 6th Congress of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor decided to change the name of the "Vietnam General Confederation of Labor" to "Vietnam General Confederation of Labor". That is not only an adjustment in the name, but a step to affirm the stature and expanded representative scope of trade unions in a multi-component economy.
He directed that trade union activities must depend on the characteristics of each type of economy to have a suitable form, which must be consistent with the requirements and tasks of each revolutionary stage and the specific conditions of workers and laborers. Following President Ho Chi Minh's ideology of organizing trade unions according to "profession" and "profession", according to the "team" and "vertical" system, this viewpoint of comrade Nguyen Van Linh has created the foundation for the emergence of trade union organizational models in the renovation period such as: Trade unions in the industry, industrial park trade unions, general corporation trade unions, trade unions...
Building a strong and comprehensive Vietnam Trade Union
deeply grasping the guiding viewpoint of Comrade Nguyen Van Linh, after nearly 40 years of implementing the country's renovation process, the Vietnam Trade Union organization has constantly strived to innovate itself, gradually adapting to major changes in the socio-economy, proactively transforming to meet the requirements of the socialist-oriented market mechanism. That process is clearly demonstrated through the innovation of the organizational apparatus, methods of operation, and improvement of representative capacity, especially expanding the scope of labor gathering.
In recent terms of the Vietnam Trade Union Congress, especially after the Politburo issued Resolution No. 02-NQ/TW, dated June 12, 2021 on "Innovation of organization and operation of Vietnam Trade Unions in the new situation", the trade union has strongly shifted its focus of activities, expanding the gathering of union members in the non-state and informal sectors. On August 27, 2024, the Executive Committee of the 13th Vietnam General Confederation of Labor issued Resolution No. 06/NQ-BCH on promoting the development of union members and establishing grassroots unions in non-state enterprises by 2028, with a vision to 2033. Implementing the 2025 working theme "Focusing on developing union members; participating in building a clean and strong Party", the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor has issued and implemented a Plan to develop union members and establish grassroots unions in 2025. As a result, in the first 6 months of 2025, trade unions at all levels admitted 507,022 new union members, of which the informal sector reached 14,460 union members.
In the context of focusing on the non-state sector and the informal sector, along with expanding and improving the quality of caring activities, trade unions at all levels are striving to strongly shift their activities to representing and protecting the rights of union members and workers through participating in developing policies, laws, dialogues, negotiations, and signing collective labor agreements. In the first 6 months of 2025, 1,429 new collective labor agreements were signed; nearly 33,753 periodic dialogues, 7,269 dialogues upon request and nearly 3,871 dialogues when an incident occurred.
On the occasion of the Lunar New Year 2025, 11,350 million union members, workers and their relatives have benefited from care activities organized by the Union (an increase of 9.25% compared to 2024), with a total budget of VND 7,800 billion (an increase of 9% compared to 2024). Workers' Month 2025 has more than 1.4 million union members and workers supported and cared for in many forms, with a total budget of more than 265 billion VND.
Trade unions at all levels have been focusing on implementing Resolution No. 02-NQ/TW of the Politburo and the revolution of streamlining the political system apparatus "Refined - Compact - Strong - Effective - Effective - Efficient". The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor actively directs the arrangement and streamlining of the trade union apparatus at all levels, including ending district-level trade union activities and equivalent activities, ending activities, not establishing trade union organizations in administrative agencies, armed forces, and public service units receiving 100% of salaries from the State budget; reviewing and orienting the model of commune, ward, and provincial-level trade unions in accordance with the model of organizing local government at 2 levels; rearranging and reorganizing enterprises and trade union public service units. At the same time, participate in building and amending the legal system, focusing on the 2013 Constitution and the 2024 Trade Union Law to ensure institutional synchronization with the requirements for developing trade union organizations in the new period. Along with streamlining the apparatus, the Trade Union organization will continue to focus on and focus all its efforts on the non-state sector, especially the private economic sector, to continue expanding and developing the organization, building harmonious, stable and progressive labor relations, contributing to promoting private economic development in the spirit of Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW dated May 4, 2025 of the Politburo. These steps are an important premise for the Trade Union to continue to affirm its role as the only representative organization of workers at the national level in labor relations and international trade union relations; accompany union members and workers on the journey to realize the aspiration to develop a strong and prosperous country in the new era - the era of national growth.
The ideology, style and leadership of Comrade Nguyen Van Linh are not only vivid in the flow of history, but also spread strongly in the current process of innovating the organization and operation of the Vietnam Trade Union. Every innovation in union organization and activities, every step towards the quality of the staff, every effort to represent, care for, and protect the legitimate and legal rights and interests of union members and workers has more or less the imprint of the reformed and innovative thinking of comrade Nguyen Van Linh from nearly four decades ago.
In gratitude for Comrade Nguyen Van Linh's great contributions to the workers' movement and the Vietnam Trade Union organization, in 2019, the Executive Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor reported and was approved by the Central Party Secretariat to organize the selection and awarding of the Award named after Comrade Nguyen Van Linh - a noble award for union officials with outstanding achievements, many initiatives, innovations, and creativity for union members and workers, contributing to building a strong Trade Union organization. Up to now, through 4 awards, 40 outstanding union cadres at all levels have been honored, thereby contributing to strongly spreading the spirit of innovation, creativity, and the " say and do" style of comrade Nguyen Van Linh to build a strong and comprehensive Vietnam Trade Union organization, a modern and strong Vietnamese working class, and the whole nation firmly entering the new era.
