Therefore, more than ever, each Trade Union official must affirm their role and position through specific operating results.
Collective labor agreements are one of the measures
This is the stage when the Trade Union organization must synchronously innovate the content and methods of operation; shift from "right direction" to "right and sufficient results", measurable and verified, the achievements obtained are not only feelings but must go into the material and spiritual life, activities of each type of grassroots, into each family and each individual union member and worker.
This can be clearly seen at the Trade Union of Thanh Cong Textile and Garment - Investment and Trade Joint Stock Company, the unit with the Collective Labor Agreement assessed by the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union as one of the best Agreements.
This Agreement bears the imprint of the Trade Union organization, including Chairman of the grassroots Trade Union Tran Thi Thanh Chau. The company's collective labor agreement has 22 contents higher than the law on salaries, bonuses, working hours, rest, sickness benefits, maternity benefits and other welfare benefits for employees such as hardship allowances, funerals, childcare expense support, gifts for women on March 8, October 20, Children's Day, birthdays... with specific support amounts determined.
Exchanging about the process of dialogue and negotiation to achieve many contents beneficial to workers in the Collective Labor Agreement, while ensuring harmonious and sustainable labor relations, Ms. Chau said that collective bargaining is carried out according to a 5-step process, including: Step 1 - The company's Trade Union requests the Company to provide information on production and business operations and other contents directly related to the content of the bargaining. Step 2 - The company's Trade Union organizes to collect collective labor opinions on the content of the bargaining. Step 3 - The company's Trade Union notifies the content of the collective bargaining to the Company. Step 4 - Organizes a collective bargaining session. Step 5 - Publicly announces the minutes of the bargaining session. Within 15 days from the date of completion of the collective bargaining session, the Company's Trade Union Executive Committee shall publicly and widely disseminate the minutes of the collective bargaining session to the collective of employees and take votes from the collective of employees (ensuring that over 50% of employees agree) on the contents agreed upon and agreed upon to be included in the Collective Labor Agreement.
It is known that in the period 2023 - 2025, the company's Trade Union organized over 70 dialogues, resolving more than 200 recommendations from employees; contributing to improving working conditions, creating consensus between employees and businesses. The experience for the company's Trade Union to have successful dialogues is that although the law stipulates 1 time/year, the company maintains periodic quarterly dialogues and unexpected dialogues when problems arise.
The dialogue process is implemented from the trade union group to the departmental trade union and then to the Company's Trade Union, ensuring the full collection of opinions and resolution according to the authority of each level. When recommendations exceed the authority, the Trade Union summarizes and submits to the Board of Directors for discussion, and proposes appropriate solutions in accordance with law and practice...
From the understanding, skills, experience and responsibility, the feelings of a Trade Union official, Ms. Tran Thi Thanh Chau has become a reliable support for both employees and the Company's Board of Directors. Being both the Head of the garment factory and the Chairman of the grassroots Trade Union, Ms. Chau's work is extremely busy. But she always arranges reasonable time to do both tasks well.
She directly manages and operates the activities of the Garment Workshop to deliver goods on schedule, meet quality and meet KPIs assigned by the Board of Directors of the Garment industry. The operating results of the Garment Workshop directly managed by Ms. Chau always achieve high productivity, good quality, high worker income and satisfy customers.
Ms. Chau implements the organization of skills training classes, improving professional skills for workers through the annual "Talent Search" contest, this program has attracted many workers to register to participate to improve their skills and qualifications and thereby help workers get salary grades, receive monthly allowances, increase income, promote increased productivity and complete production plan targets, contributing to the sustainable development of the garment industry and the company.
Activities organized by Ms. Chau are enthusiastically responded to and participated in by workers such as organizing research groups to improve suitable sewing stages to help workers increase productivity and limit overtime; propagating and mobilizing skilled workers to register for quarterly productivity growth emulation...
In particular, besides trade union activities, Ms. Chau also organizes training for trade union officials, as well as always focusing on establishing harmonious relationships with employers along with caring for and protecting the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of workers; and always listening to the thoughts and aspirations of workers and creating trust in workers.
Organize supervision of Tet and monthly salary and bonus payments for officials and employees fully and on time, supervise the implementation of regimes and policies for employees according to the content signed in the Collective Labor Agreement. Annually, organize training for over 100 trade union officials from departmental trade unions and above to improve skills and capacity in trade union work so that new term trade union officials complete their tasks.
For the new term, Ms. Chau determined that the Trade Union will have to overcome challenges in the face of the new situation. Therefore, to attract and gather workers, the Trade Union organization must have appropriate organizational forms and content of activities; bringing practical benefits to workers, both material and spiritual benefits.
To do this, the qualifications and capacity of the team of trade union officials must be improved to implement targets, one of which is the proportion of trade union members to the total number of workers reaching 98% or more; in the term, amend or supplement at least 3 clauses that are more beneficial to workers into the Collective Labor Agreement. Every year, over 90% of trade union officials are trained and foster trade union professional skills, legal knowledge, and skills.
Innovation towards democracy, publicity, and application of digital technology
Although working in many fields, when becoming a Trade Union official, everyone must cultivate themselves, ensuring the completion of assigned tasks. Dr. Tong Van Hai, Chairman of the Trade Union of the Faculty of Biotechnology - Vietnam National University of Agriculture, is always close to officials, lecturers, and employees.
He not only proactively advises, organizes and innovates practical activities to meet the needs of officials, lecturers, and workers, but also coordinates to organize emulation movements "Good teaching - Good research" associated with the specifics of science and technology.
Typically, the online lecture design contest and the e-learning lecture design contest attracted officials and lecturers to participate, thereby contributing to improving skills and qualifications, especially in digital transformation and technology application.
Mr. Hai also innovated trade union management in a democratic and public direction, applying digital technology in information exchange, contributing to improving the transparency and efficiency of the Faculty's trade union activities.
The Chairman of the Trade Union of the Faculty of Biotechnology is also a role model for union members to follow in the emulation movement with the titles: Grassroots Emulation Soldier, Certificate of Merit from the VGCL... Mr. Hai ensures good practice and internship of modules under the subjects: Molecular Biology, Biotechnology in plant variety selection, Bioinformatics, Pharmaceutical Processing. In addition, he directly teaches the modules Molecular Biology Practice, Biotechnology Practice, which are positively evaluated.
Every year, Dr. Tong Van Hai guides 5-7 students to write graduation theses (achieving good and excellent results) and 1-2 groups of scientific research students. In the period 2020 - 2025, Dr. Hai implemented 7 scientific projects; from 2020 to now, published 21 scientific articles...
From 2023, Dr. Tong Van Hai was trusted and elected as Chairman of the Faculty Trade Union. According to Dr. Hai, for Trade Union activities to be effective in the new situation, it is necessary to innovate the content and form of organizing Trade Union movements and activities. Activities need to be designed flexibly and creatively, suitable to the professional working conditions of union members; harmoniously combine professional emulation movements, cultural and sports activities, care for spiritual life, creating attraction and spread.
More importantly, it is to strengthen the work of grasping the thoughts and aspirations of union members through proactive approach, listening and dialogue to promptly reflect and propose to competent authorities contents related to the rights and policies of officials and employees. Chairman of Khoa Trade Union emphasized "this is a key and consistent task".
In addition, it is necessary to effectively utilize information technology and digital transformation. Because the reality of Trade Union activities shows that the application of digital platforms in union member management, internal communication, event organization, voting, surveys... helps improve operational efficiency, save time and attract union member participation.
When analyzing and exchanging operating experiences and also part of the orientation in the coming time, Dr. Tong Van Hai shared about the importance of organizing movements and activities that must be suitable to the specific characteristics of the unit. Accordingly, all activities of the Trade Union need to be placed under the direct leadership of the Faculty's Party Committee and the professional direction of the Academy's Trade Union; and at the same time proactively update and flexibly apply new guidelines and policies to suit the specific characteristics of the unit.
The construction of a "compact but strong" Trade Union organization is not measured by the number of meetings or the number of movements, but measured by increased benefits, reduced worries and greater trust among millions of union members and workers, which is being strongly implemented. One of the important stages is still the quality of cadres, especially trade union cadres at the grassroots level.
To meet new requirements, each grassroots Trade Union official must not only have enthusiasm but also have analytical thinking, negotiation skills, and the ability to use technology. Trade Union officials must truly be professional representatives, solving problems for union members, not just stopping at mobilizing the movement.
