Ho Chi Minh City focuses on establishing unions and developing union members

Happy to join the union

For nearly 10 days, since being admitted by the Binh Tan District Labor Federation, Ho Chi Minh City as a member of the Binh Tan District Green Technology Vehicle Union, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan has been very excited.

Sharing with Lao Dong Newspaper reporters, Mr. Tuan said that he has been cooperating with Green and Smart Mobility Joint Stock Company (GSM) for the past year. When the Binh Tan District Labor Federation promoted and encouraged him to join the union, he was very excited.

“On the day the union was founded, I was one of 50 people who received a gift worth 500,000 VND from the Binh Tan District Labor Federation for union members in difficult circumstances. We hope that in the future, the Union will pay attention to health insurance and accident insurance because these are practical issues for drivers,” Mr. Tuan happily said.

Ms. Vo Thi Phuong Nghi - Interim President of the Green Technology Vehicle Union of Binh Tan District - said that after a period of propaganda and mobilization by the Binh Tan District Labor Federation, there are currently 328 two-wheeled vehicle drivers cooperating with the Green and Smart Di Di Joint Stock Company to join the union.
Previously, on September 24, the District 12 Labor Federation coordinated with the District Women's Union to organize the launching ceremony of the "Beauty Care" Union, consisting of 25 union members working in the professions of hairdressers and stylists, makeup artists, skin care, and cosmetology.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoan - President of the District 12 Labor Federation, Ho Chi Minh City - said that the establishment of the "Beauty Care" Union brings together a large number of workers in the beauty industry (spa, beauty care, hair cutting, hair styling...) to the Vietnam Trade Union organization, thereby creating a healthy playground, promptly taking care of workers in informal sectors in the district.

In mid-September 2024, the District 7 Labor Federation, Ho Chi Minh City established the District 7 Barber Union, thereby gathering 26 workers working as barbers in the district into the Union organization.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Sen - Vice President of District 7 Labor Federation - said that everyone is very happy to join the union and currently District 7 Labor Federation is managing 7 unions with 260 union members.

Focus on gathering informal sector workers

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Hai - Chairman of Binh Tan District Labor Federation, up to now, Binh Tan District Labor Federation has established 16 unions with nearly 5,600 union members.

Ms. Le Thi Kim Thuy - Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Labor Federation - said that in the initial stage, the review and approach to mobilize workers in the informal sector to join trade unions and form grassroots unions encountered difficulties due to the lack of a unit to manage and keep statistics and monitor the informal labor force, and the legal regulations were not strict in resolving labor disputes when they arose for the informal economic sector group.

Propaganda, education and organization of activities also have many limitations because workers in the informal sector have low cohesion due to lack of common awareness, viewpoints, rights and interests... The labor force is diverse in occupations and often changes, their place of residence is not concentrated, they do not work in the same place, they change easily so it is difficult to manage, most of them are freelance workers without a manager or seasonal contract workers, mainly concentrated in small-scale occupations with few workers...

However, with the efforts of all levels of Ho Chi Minh City trade unions, by September 2024, the city's trade union organization had established 148 unions with nearly 15,100 union members.