Recommendations of workers sent to provincial leaders
On the morning of May 16, Thanh Hoa Provincial Labor Federation coordinated with the Provincial People's Committee to organize a dialogue conference between provincial leaders and workers in the area. The conference was connected online to 41 bridge points throughout the province with the participation of representatives of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, leaders of Thanh Hoa province, departments, branches and a large number of union members and workers.
Speaking at the opening of the conference, Mr. Luong Trong Thanh - Chairman of Thanh Hoa Provincial Labor Federation said that the conference is organized during Workers' Month and Action Month on Occupational Safety and Health in 2026. This is not just a simple meeting activity but also a forum for provincial leaders to directly listen to the thoughts, aspirations, and difficulties from the reality of life of workers.
According to Mr. Thanh, this is also an opportunity for levels and sectors to better recognize the issues raised in labor relations, employment, social security and human resource development in the new context.
At the conference, many trade union officials, union members and workers raised recommendations related to rights, working environment and infrastructure serving production.
Mr. Nguyen Van Tron - Chairman of the Trade Union of Annora Vietnam Footwear Co., Ltd. raised the issue of whether when implementing the two-level local government model, gaps will arise in state management of labor relations, labor disputes or collective work stoppages at enterprises.
Answering this content, a representative of the Thanh Hoa Provincial Department of Home Affairs said that according to Article 211 of the 2019 Labor Code, the handling responsibility previously belonged to the Chairman of the District-level People's Committee. However, since the implementation of the two-level local government model, the responsibility for handling collective work stoppages against regulations will belong to the Chairman of the commune-level People's Committee.
In addition, many other issues were also reflected by workers such as social insurance debt, reduced orders, reduced working hours, social housing, wages and infrastructure conditions serving workers.
One of the issues of concern at the conference was the degraded traffic infrastructure in Le Mon Industrial Park.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Van Anh - a union member of Sun Jade Vietnam Footwear Co., Ltd. reflected that the road behind the company has seriously deteriorated, with dense potholes and craters causing traffic unsafety. In fact, there have been many cases of workers slipping and falling during work.
According to representatives of the Nghi Son Economic Zone and Industrial Parks Management Board of Thanh Hoa province, Le Mon Industrial Park was invested and built in 1999, and so far many roads have deteriorated.
The reason identified is that the current infrastructure fee is too low, only about 0.1 USD/m2/year, the main source of funding is to meet small maintenance and repairs, and there are not enough resources to synchronously renovate the transportation system.
Currently, the unit has reported to the Provincial People's Committee proposing to adjust service unit prices and infrastructure usage fees to have more capital to upgrade roads. While waiting for consideration, the Management Board will balance resources for maintenance, repair, ensuring travel and production conditions.
Not waiting for regular dialogue to receive recommendations
Speaking at the conference, Mr. Mai Xuan Liem - Standing Vice Chairman of Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee emphasized that the reception and handling of workers' petitions cannot only wait for annual dialogues.
According to Mr. Liem, the Provincial People's Committee and the Trade Union organization need to coordinate regularly and continuously weekly, monthly, and quarterly to promptly grasp and remove difficulties for workers.
Organize a dialogue conference once a year, but it is not necessary to wait until the conference to receive petitions and problems from workers. Trade unions need to regularly receive opinions from workers and forward them to the Provincial People's Committee for consideration and timely resolution," Mr. Liem emphasized.
Also according to the leader of Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee, at the conference, more than 20 opinions from union members and workers were recorded. Opinions will be assigned to departments and branches to study and respond in writing; complex contents will continue to be discussed to ensure effective and timely handling.
On this occasion, provincial leaders and the Thanh Hoa Provincial Labor Federation presented support for 5 "Trade Union Homes" to union members in difficult circumstances; supported 15 workers with dangerous diseases, presented gifts to 20 workers in difficult circumstances and supported funding for building "Cultural Space Models" at grassroots trade unions.
