To take care of workers with dedication and enthusiasm

Over nearly 20 years of working with trade union organizations, Nguyen Minh Tien, Chairman of Grassroots Trade Union of Thong Dung Footwear Company ( Thuan An City) has been enthusiastic about taking care of and protecting the legitimate interests of workers and is a reliable support of more than 6,000 workers.

Nguyen Minh Tien (second from the right) and a staff member of Thong Dung Footwear Company's Trade Union come to lodging rooms to present donations to poor workers.

Dedicated to taking care of workers

Right from the foundation of Trade Union of Thong Dung Footwear Company in 2001, Tien enthusiastically joined Executive Committee of the Trade Union. Despite his limited experience and skills, he and the Executive Committee resolved a spontaneous strike. In 2002, the company's trade union congress held, Nguyen Minh Tien was elected by union members as Vice Chairman of the trade union.

Tien recalled: "In 2009, common difficulties of the economy obstructed the production and business of enterprises, affecting badly jobs, incomes, and living standards of workers, labor relations often had disagreements and conflicts. A group of workers went on strike spontaneously. Executive Board of the Trade Union directly met, listened to and gathered recommendations of workers to report to Directors Board, and then persistently negotiated, with reasonableness, hence most of the requests at that time were satisfactorily resolved, workers returned to work".

After that time, prestige of the Trade Union was markedly improved within the business owners. At the fourth Congress in 2010, Nguyen Minh Tien was elected as Chairman of the Company's Trade Union, now he is still highly trusted by union members. Tien continued to work actively with the Executive Committee to regularly renew content and operation method of union activities, in which focus on union members to capture their thoughts and wishes; set up a mail box so that all employees can express their opinions and suggestions...

Thanks to being closer to workers' lives, Tien and the Executive Committee learned about more workers, who had difficult circumstances or suffered from serious diseases, and promptly propose solutions to help workers. The Trade Union mobilized the cooperation and contribution of union members and workers throughout the company. “For union members and workers suffering from serious illnesses, occupational accidents and having especially difficult circumstances, the company's Trade Union not only visited and gave gifts to them, but also learned about their circumstances to mobilize donations and give support. Most workers of the company are migrants, thus their lives face many difficulties. Difficulties are doubled when they are sick. Therefore, we find solutions to help them overcome difficulties and stabilize their lives. Employees suffering from serious illnesses and having extremely difficult circumstances, the trade union calls for contributions throughout the company to support their medical treatment", said Tien.

For example, poor woman worker Le Thi Huong, who was in a traffic accident. Huong said that in the middle of 2020, she, her 8-year-old son, and her brother unfortunately had a traffic accident on their way from Dong Nai to Binh Duong. The accident caused Huong's brother to die on the way to emergency room, and she suffered a traumatic brain injury, broken nose, broken jaw; er son was slightly injured. Her situation was so tough, her husband died 2 years ago. Huong said: “I am very grateful to the company's trade union officials and colleagues for their donations and support to share my difficulties. This money helped me get medical treatment and raise my children.” The total donation mobilized by trade union was nearly 80 million VND for Huong to receive medical treatment.

ện chữa bệnh… Trade Union of Thong Dung Footwear Company has also mobilized a total amount of more than 1 billion VND to support many workers suffering from serious diseases and having extremely difficult circumstances. Thanks to this timely attention and care, sick workers overcame difficulties and obstacles, returned to work and stayed at the company, and at the same time, their trust in trade union organizations is strengthened.

To protect interests

Tien is always enthusiastic about trade union activities, actively proposes policies to protect and take care of union members and workers. There were times when Tien faced many difficulties and challenges, but that never made him discouraged. He always focuses on building a stable, harmonious and progressive labor relationship in enterprises. For example, when there is a "bottleneck" in the labor relationship, the trade union actively seek to solve from the beginning, preventing collective strikes that could lead to collective labor disputes, thereby earning trust of union members, workers, and business owners;

hence suggestions and recommendations related to workers' interests could be easily supported. Nguyen Minh Tien said that in order to continuously improve the lives of workers, the business must firstly stabilize production activities. Therefore, the company's Trade Union always focuses on building a stable, harmonious and progressive labor relationship in the enterprise; promptly solve problems in daily work, prevent pressing strikes from happening.

According to Nguyen Minh Tien, in order for dialogue and negotiations to take place with good quality, the preparation work is valued by the parties, information from employees is collected to include in the content of the dialogue. Company leaders proactively grasp the actual situation of daily life as well as promptly receive requests and wishes of employees, while trade union collect information, respond to opinions and requests of employees to prepare for a successful employees' conference.

Tsai Pu Chuo, Director of Thong Dung Footwear Company, said: “At the company, it is a regular job in the company to coordinate with the trade union to hold periodic dialogues at work, Thereby helping Directors Board grasp information and promptly satisfy thoughts, aspirations, and pressing concerns of employees. This is the most effective solution to resolve conflicts arising in labor relations and build a harmonious labor relationship in enterprises.

Nguyen Minh Tien always put the interests of union members and workers on top. With a humble spirit, not taking personal achievements as the goal, Tien said: "The most important thing for a trade union official is diligence and enthusiasm. If union officials are not close to union members and workers, they cannot do union works”.

Reported by Do Trong - Translated by Ngoc Huynh