Workers' Forum for the Environment 2025: Workers become green vehicles

Hoping for people to accompany workers to reduce their hardships

Amid the chaos of life, environmental sanitation workers work day and night quietly to keep the capital green - clean - beautiful despite many hardships and dangers.

Ms. Tran Thi Thu Huong has been an environmental worker at Thanh Cong Cooperative (Hanoi) for 15 years, currently in charge of cleaning on Nguyen Trai Street - one of the major streets. "Not only the garbage of people living there but also the garbage from the market, or from people who bring it from other places to dump along the road, not at the right gathering place, not at the right time. Every day, there are 4-5 vehicles coming to transport garbage to the treatment site, Ms. Huong shared.

Also a 15-year-old senior, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huyen in Chuong My ward travels more than 20km every day to work early in the morning on Khuat Duy Tien street.

"Although the regulation on waste classification has been issued, in reality, people have not implemented it seriously, bottles and sharp objects are still thrown away. Sometimes the trash bag is too heavy, you have to use your hands to pick it up quickly and then get stuck in your hand with a sharp object," Ms. Huyen said.

Working as a team leader, directly witnessing the hardships of environmental sanitation workers, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Van - Head of Team 2, Thanh Cong Cooperative - said that the workload of workers is increasing due to the increasing amount of waste. On sunny days, rainy days or when there is a storm, environmental sanitation workers still have to work. Not only do they complete their daily work, they also have to handle the amount of additional waste generated, while the salary received is too low compared to the general level in Hanoi, Ms. Van expressed.

The Head of Group 2, Thanh Cong Cooperative hopes to have more practical measures to promote waste classification at source, raise people's awareness, and avoid littering.

Every worker is the green core of change

Dr. Nguyen Anh Tho - Director of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Hygiene (VGCL) - said that the environmental pollution situation in many areas is complicated, directly affecting the health, life and jobs of millions of workers.

According to him, the Vietnam Trade Union, as the representative, caregiver and defender of the legitimate and legal rights and interests of employees, deeply recognizes that: A safe and clean living and working environment is the most fundamental and practical benefit of every union member. Environmental protection is not the work of anyone alone, but a common journey in which the Trade Union is a trusted companion, an inspiration and an effective bridge for each employee.

"The question is, what can each of us do and what should we do to contribute to this "green journey"? The answer lies in small but practical daily actions, at work and in life. First, change from awareness to "green" action at the workplace. Each employee needs to become an "environmental ambassador" right at their factory, factory, or office. Second, proactively participate in monitoring and proposing initiatives. More than anyone else, it is the employees who directly operate the machinery, participate in the production process and understand the most environmental "hot spots" in the enterprise," Mr. Tho analyzed.

Bridge between management agency - scientists - workforce

The "Workers for the Environment" forum was conceived and organized in 2019, and has achieved many positive results, contributing to strengthening the role of workers in enterprises in monitoring compliance with environmental protection laws, promoting sustainable production and consumption, implementing the National Strategy on Green Growth, etc.

Implementing environmental protection well helps businesses improve their competitiveness, penetrate international markets and ensure sustainable development.

In 2025, the Forum will continue to be organized with the participation of managers, scientists and a large number of workers - those who directly work in collecting and treating domestic solid waste to discuss and propose solutions to help environmental protection and waste management work be synchronous and effective.

The forum is also a voice accompanying each occupational hygiene worker, each locality to continue to promote the protection of the air and water environment, promote waste classification, turn waste into resources, build models for urban and rural waste management and treatment to meet the requirements in the new situation.

According to the Department of Environment (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), environmental protection has always been a consistent and consistent policy of our Party and State. Documents of the Party Congresses all affirm that, along with the economy and society, environmental protection is one of the three important pillars, inseparable, deciding the sustainable development of the country. However, we are facing a challenging reality: Environmental pollution in some places is still very serious, especially air pollution in large cities, directly affecting public health, people's quality of life and socio-economic development.

The representative of the Department of Environment said that the Workers' Forum for the Environment organized by Lao Dong Newspaper under the direction of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, is an extremely important event, a practical bridge between State management agencies, scientists and the workforce - who are not only directly affected by environmental issues but also the core force, playing a decisive role in the country's environmental protection.