Not just a nutritious meal
Hue City Labor Federation has just simultaneously launched the "Trade Union Meal" program at many businesses in the area. At Jointwell Vietnam Co., Ltd., the program was organized for 996 union members and workers. On this occasion, Hue City Labor Federation presented 30 gifts, each worth 500,000 VND, to union members in difficult circumstances; and at the same time presented English reading pens supported by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour to workers' children.
At Impulse Fashion Tae Hee Import-Export JSC, nearly 420 union members and workers shared a Trade Union Meal. In addition to supporting funding to improve the quality of meals worth 40,000 VND, Hue City Labor Federation also presented 20 gifts, each worth 500,000 VND, to union members in difficult circumstances...
The above figures show that the program is not simply an improved quality meal, but also an opportunity for the Trade Union organization to send concern in many practical forms.
More importantly, this is the time when trade union leaders and businesses sit with workers in the most intimate space - mid-shift meals. The distance is narrowed, and sharing about working conditions, income, meals, and the working environment also becomes more open.
According to Chairwoman of Hue City Labor Federation Tran Thi Kim Loan, the diligence and dedication of workers are the foundation for the sustainable development of businesses as well as the growth of the Trade Union organization. Therefore, taking care of workers' lives is not only a responsibility but also an investment for long-term development.
Changing businesses' perceptions of employee welfare
Chairman of Hue City Labor Federation Tran Thi Kim Loan said that although it has humanistic meaning, reality shows that Trade Union Meals are still mainly organized during peak periods such as Workers' Month, the anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam Trade Union... Most businesses only deploy once or several times a year.
Meanwhile, the need to improve the quality of meals for workers is a daily need. For many workers, mid-shift meals not only help regenerate labor but also directly affect health, productivity and long-term attachment to businesses.
Therefore, the greatest value of the program does not lie in the number of meals supported in a day, but in the ability to create a change in the business's awareness of employee welfare.
According to the Chairman of Hue City Labor Federation, for the program to develop sustainably, the Trade Union organization needs to aim at building a long-term coordination model between grassroots trade unions and businesses, gradually making improving the quality of meals a regular content, instead of just implementing it as a movement.
In addition, it is necessary to replicate businesses that perform well, build evaluation criteria, and commend units that are interested in nutrition, food safety, and meal welfare. Integrating dialogue, legal advice, health care, and gift-giving activities for union members in difficult circumstances right in the program will also help the Trade Union Meal become a real connection space between workers, businesses, and trade union organizations.
A meal can only last for a few dozen minutes, but if maintained by appropriate mechanisms and ways, it will be the foundation for building a more humane working environment, retaining workers better and clearly affirming the role of the Trade Union in caring for union members' lives in a practical, long-term and sustainable direction" - Chairman of Hue City Labor Federation Tran Thi Kim Loan emphasized.
