Buzz
1. Role
Politics
- The Trade Union plays a crucial role in enhancing the effectiveness of the socialist political-social system.
- It strengthens the bond between the Party and the people, ensures and promotes workers' rights, gradually perfects socialist democracy, enforces the law, and ensures that the State is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people.
- The Trade Union participates in improving the economic management mechanism, eliminating bureaucracy, reinforcing centralized principles while expanding democracy.
- It helps strengthen the economic, cultural, and scientific achievements made during the Party's renewal policy.
- The Union continues to boost the efficiency of economic sectors, with the State sector leading and supporting other economic sectors to benefit the national economy.
- It accelerates industrialization and modernization, gradually introducing a knowledge-based economy in Vietnam, helping the country integrate faster into the global economy.
- Especially in the context of a socialist-oriented market economy, the Union ensures that the State-owned economy remains pivotal and dominant.
- Within a multi-sector economy, the Trade Union plays a key role in educating workers and employees, raising class consciousness, with Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s thought as the ideological foundation.
- It serves as a guide for activities, promoting noble values, national cultural traditions, and integrating human civilization’s advancements to build an advanced culture while preserving Vietnam’s cultural identity.
- The Trade Union plays a role in developing a strong working class, both in quantity and quality, continuously improving political awareness, organizational discipline, cultural, scientific, and technical knowledge, contributing to the workers' alliance with farmers and intellectuals, forming the foundation for national unity.
- It serves as a solid base to ensure the Party’s leadership and strengthen the State's power.
2. Responsibilities
The Vietnam Trade Union has the following key responsibilities:
- Protecting the legal and rightful interests of workers, employees, and laborers
- Participating in the management of the State, overseeing economic and social activities, and monitoring the actions of government agencies and economic organizations
- Educating and encouraging workers to exercise their rights as citizens, fulfilling their duties, and contributing to the construction and defense of the nation
3. The Relationship Between the Vietnam Trade Union and the Communist Party of Vietnam
The Vietnam Trade Union serves as a vital link between the Party, the working class, and all laborers. The Union's activities are inseparable from the Party's leadership, as the Party is the most advanced and proactive part of the working class. The Party's leadership over the Union has evolved from the historical struggles of the working class and the Vietnam Trade Union. Under the Party's guidance, the Union played a significant role in the national democratic revolution, the resistance against American imperialism, and the socialist revolution in Vietnam. The Party leads the Union through its resolutions, directives, and policies. The Union, in turn, implements these directives into its own organizational activities. The Party ensures its leadership by promoting the role of Party members within the Union's structure at all levels. While respecting the Union’s organizational independence, the Party does not interfere in its operations or force Party officials to take on Union duties. The Party only nominates outstanding Party members as candidates for leadership roles within the Union, which are then elected by Union members at congresses.
4. The Relationship Between the Vietnam Trade Union and the State
Under socialism, the relationship between the Vietnam Trade Union and the State is based on equality, cooperation, mutual respect, and close coordination in activities to achieve the shared goal of: 'A prosperous people, a strong nation, and a fair, democratic, and civilized society.' The State always provides the Trade Union with material support and enacts legal documents to create a legal framework for its activities. There is no opposition between the Union and the State. The Vietnam Trade Union collaborates closely with the State, contributing to the continuous strengthening of the State’s government. The Union is also a source of training and nurturing capable leaders for the Party and the State.
5. The Concept of the Vietnam Trade Union
The Vietnam Trade Union is a large political-social organization of the working class, intellectuals, and voluntary laborers, aimed at uniting and consolidating the workforce to build a strong Vietnamese working class in all aspects. It represents and protects the legal and legitimate rights of workers, contributing to the struggle for an independent, unified Vietnam advancing towards socialism. The Vietnam Trade Union is a member of the political system and the Vietnam Fatherland Front, serving as a center for the organization, unity, education, training, and development of the working class and labor force.
6. Name
Throughout its history, the Vietnam Trade Union has undergone several name changes:
- Red Union (1929 - 1935)
- Brotherhood Trade Union (1935 - 1939)
- Anti-imperialist Workers' Union (1939 - 1941)
- National Salvation Workers' Union (1941 - 1946)
- Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (1946 - 1961)
- Vietnam Trade Union Confederation (1961 - 1988)
- Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (1988 - present)
7. The Formation Process
In late 1924 and early 1925, in Guangzhou, Comrade Nguyen Ai Quoc – the great leader of the working class and people of Vietnam – laid the theoretical foundations for the Vietnam Trade Union, outlining its guiding principles and objectives. He trained a large number of outstanding cadres within revolutionary youth organizations, particularly focusing on the Communist Youth League. He also initiated the 'proletarianization' movement – encouraging workers in factories, mines, and plantations to join the Trade Union. By late 1928 and early 1929, several Red Union branches were established in various industries and grew into regional Red Union confederations in cities like Hanoi, Haiphong, Nam Dinh, and Hon Gai. On July 28, 1929, at 15 Hang Non Street, Hanoi, the founding congress of the Northern Red Union was held. The congress adopted its struggle objectives and statutes, launched the Labor Newspaper and the Red Union Magazine, and elected its leadership. Soon after, Red Unions were also established in central and southern regions of Vietnam. By 1930, the Red Union was active nationwide. Throughout the revolutionary periods, under the Party’s leadership, the Vietnam Trade Union was known by different names to match the specific tasks of each phase: - Red Union (1929 – 1935) - Brotherhood Trade Union (1936 – 1939) - Anti-imperialist Workers’ Union (1939 – 1941) - National Salvation Workers’ Union (1941 – 1945) - Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (1946 – 1961) - Vietnam Trade Union Confederation (1961 – 1988) - Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (1988 – present). The Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam decided that July 28, 1929, the day of the founding congress of the Northern Red Union, would be celebrated as the founding day of the Vietnam Trade Union. The 5th National Congress of the Vietnam Trade Union, held in Hanoi in November 1983, officially adopted this date as the founding day of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor.
