On the 85th founding anniversary of Vietnam Trade Union Organization, trade union at all levels applauded typical trade union cadres. These typical trade union cadres always grasp laborers’ aspirations. They are bridges to build a harmonic and stable labor relation at enterprises and simultaneously protect laborers’ legitimate rights and interests.

Trade union cadres get insignias for the cause of building trade union organization.

Heart for laborers Nguyen Huu Dung, chairman of grassroot trade union of Pungkook Sai Gon II Company in Song Than I IP has held the position of the grassroot trade union chairman for 10 years. He added that his happiest thing is that the grassroot trade union’s executive board holds many useful playgrounds for laborers. “We hold activities of cooking, sport festivals on holidays and year-end parties for thousands of laborers. Especially, in the recent years, grassroot trade union establishes a trade union supermarket to sell goods with origin prices for laborers. After working hours, the company trade union cadres become small traders to sell commodities for workers”, Dung shared. Introducing the model of trade union supermarket, Dung said that on exchange meetings, he realized that the model of trade union supermarket is very significant for laborers. Thenceforth, he petitioned this idea to the company directorate and enjoyed support. At present, the company trade union supermarket sells essential goods for laborers after working hours. Besides, the company grassroot trade union often cooperates with the company directorate to take care of laborers’ legitimate rights and interests. Aside from the State’s regulations, the company offers other subsidies to help laborers feel secure in mind. According to Nguyen Huu Dung, the company sometimes happens several conflicts between employees and employers. However, grassroot trade union cadres explained laborers to find out common voice for the two sides. "The most important thing is that trade union cadres must have a dedicated heart for laborers. This will help them spend enthusiasm and time for trade union activity", Dung said. Ensuring harmonic benefits The difficult thing for trade union cadres is how to both ensure laborers' legitimate rights and interests and salaries. Tran Duc Hung, chairman of Primarcy Vietnam Co.Ltd.'s grassroot trade union said "As a chairman of grassroot trade union, I have to both take care of laborers' legitimate rights and interests and ensure harmonic benefits for the company directorate". After nearly 8 years of taking charge of being the grassroot trade union chairman, he realizes that trade union organization must be a bridge between employees and employers. Trade union cadres must grasp aspiration of laborers, petition workers' legitimate requirements to the company directorate and help laborers understand the company directorate's difficulties to find out a common voice and hi-unity. Thanks to well implementation of the connection role, the company has no strikes and go-slows for many years. Attaching to workers The most important thing for trade union cadres is the very closeness with workers. As the chairwoman of Haya Busa Vietnam Co.Ltd's grassroot trade union, Bui Thi To Hoa received the "July 28" award for her excellent achievements of trade union activity in 5 consecutive years. Over the past years, Mrs.Hoa always completes outstandingly her role of connecting between employers and employees. She always grasps measures of mobilizing and disseminating as well as encouraging laborers to promote their creation and study. In addition, she take cares of laborers' spiritual and material life. Hoa shared "As a trade union cadre and factory manager, I often meet with laborers to listen their aspiration. I and they have no distance, so dissemination and mobilization always reach good results". Bui Thanh Nhan, vice chairman of the provincial Labor Union said that in order to help grassroot trade unions reach high results, it is essential to have good trade union cadres. One a grassroot trade union organization gets stronger, protecting and taking care of laborers' legitimate rights and interests will surely gain the best results. Therefore, improving quality and efficiency of trade union staff is one in four big programs of the Vietnam General Federation of Labor in the period of 2013-2018. Accordingly, it is essential to build a skilled and experienced trade union staff to meet requirements and tasks of the worker movement and trade union activity in the new situation. To satisfy the set requirements, the provincial trade union at all levels has over the last years focused on building a trade union staff with knowledge and capacity to meet requirements and missions of worker movement and trade union activity in the process of national industrialization and modernization and international integration. Accordingly, the provincial trade union sets a goal of gaining 90% of trade union staff getting university degree and above, 70% of grassroot trade union staff getting intermediate level, 100% of trade union staff under training on trade union skill and professional. Especially, for grassroot trade union staff at non-State enterprises, the provincial trade union will build and launch a project of training and assigning trade union cadres at these enterprises; strengthen training courses on legal knowledge, negotiation and dialogue skills for grassroot trade union cadres. Moreover, the provincial trade union will accelerate support to help grassroot trade union organizations effectively implement functions of protecting laborers' legitimate rights and interests.                                                                                               Reported by T.Thao - Translated by A.C