Many practical experiences and effective practices shared by grassroots trade unions

At the First Dong Nai Provincial Trade Union Congress for the 2025-2030 term, delegates delivered presentations and shared a wide range of practical experiences and effective practices from grassroots trade unions.

The presentations emphasized the role of trade unions in caring for and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of workers through dialogue, negotiation, and the signing of collective labor agreements. They also highlighted the coordination between trade unions and enterprises in organizing cultural activities to improve workers’ living conditions, as well as the advantages and challenges faced by ward-level trade unions, and proposed solutions to enhance their effectiveness in the time ahead.

Developing multiple workers’ movements

Speaking at the congress, Duong Hoang An, Chairman of the grassroots trade union at Jason Furniture Vietnam Co., Ltd. (Dong Xoai III Industrial Park, Binh Phuoc ward), shared that the company is a large-scale furniture exporter, with about 6,000 employees working regularly out of a total workforce of more than 10,000. He noted that the company’s operations involve a large number of workers, multiple shifts, and intense production deadlines. Consequently, workers have a strong need for physical exercise, stress relief, and opportunities for spiritual and social interaction.

Duong Hoang An, Chairman of the grassroots trade union of Jason Furniture Vietnam Co., Ltd. (Dong Xoai III Industrial Park, Binh Phuoc ward), delivers a presentation at the congress. Photo: Huy Anh

From this reality, the grassroots trade union has implemented a range of concrete solutions through exemplary models, achieving notable results that have attracted broad participation from union members and employees.

In addition to regularly organized sports and physical activities, the Trade Union has focused on cultural activities that reflect workers’ identity, such as cooking contests, flower arrangement competitions, workers’ talent performances, skills competitions, and professional skill enhancement contests. These activities have fostered creativity among workers, promoted an image of confident and dynamic employees, and helped create a positive and friendly working environment.

Sharing insights into solutions for organizing movements, Duong Hoang An noted that the grassroots trade union employs flexible scheduling while maintaining production efficiency. This flexibility has become a defining feature of its operational model. Activities are prioritized outside of regular working hours to avoid disrupting production timelines and assembly lines, with sports events arranged at suitable times to accommodate shift work. As a result, cultural and sports movements have been maintained consistently, earning strong support from the enterprise and becoming a unique cultural characteristic of the company.

Protecting workers’ rights through collective labor agreements

Doan Thi Kim Loan, Vice Chairwoman of the grassroots trade union of Chang Shin Vietnam Co., Ltd. (Tan Trieu ward), said that as a 100% South Korean–invested enterprise, after more than 30 years of formation and development, the company currently employs more than 41,000 workers, around 80% of whom are women. Given its large workforce, the specific nature of its production, and the high requirements for stable labor relations, the Trade Union plays a vital role in building harmonious, stable, and progressive labor relations within the enterprise.

Doan Thi Kim Loan, Vice Chairwoman of the grassroots trade union of Chang Shin Vietnam Co., Ltd., delivers a presentation at the congress. Photo: Huy Anh

According to Doan Thi Kim Loan, in the context of increasingly diverse and complex labor relations, the process of dialogue and negotiation conducted in a democratic, equal, and good-faith manner between employees and employers is of great importance.

The collective labor agreement is a key indicator of a trade union’s representative capacity, most clearly reflecting its role in protecting the legitimate rights and interests of workers. It also serves as an essential foundation for fostering sustainable labor relations within enterprises. Through collective labor agreements, trade unions not only help workers access benefits that exceed legal requirements but also contribute to building trust and long-term attachment between workers and employers.

Implementing grassroots democracy through regular workplace dialogue enables the timely understanding of employees’ concerns and aspirations, while proactively addressing emerging difficulties and obstacles, thereby strengthening workers’ trust in both the enterprise and the trade union. Stable labor relations, in turn, support production stability, improve labor productivity, and contribute to sustainable business development.

Solutions to enhance ward-level trade union activities

In a presentation titled “Advantages, Challenges, and Solutions to Improve the Quality of Ward-Level Trade Union Activities in the Time Ahead,” Tran Pham Quoc Dung, Chairman of the Tran Bien Ward Trade Union, said that the Ward Trade Union was established in late July 2025 and currently oversees 59 grassroots trade unions with a total of more than 7,000 members. He noted that union members demonstrate a strong sense of responsibility, solidarity, and active participation in emulation movements and social activities.

Tran Pham Quoc Dung, Chairman of the Tran Bien Ward Trade Union, delivers a presentation at the congress. Photo: Huy Anh

Immediately after its establishment, the Ward Trade Union proactively developed its working regulations and action programs to carry out assigned tasks. The Ward Trade Union Executive Committee has focused on expanding union membership and establishing grassroots trade unions in non-state economic sectors, strengthening the trade union organization, and supervising and monitoring the implementation of policies for employees across units.

Alongside the advantages and positive results, the implementation process continues to encounter specific difficulties and limitations. One major challenge is the high rate of mechanical population growth due to migration, which places significant pressure on transportation and urban infrastructure, as well as on political security, public order, and social safety.

Additionally, the workload is substantial, and the number of enterprises eligible to establish grassroots trade unions in the area is extremely large. However, the ward-level trade union currently has only two staff members, making it challenging to enhance the quality of workers’, public employees’, and labor movements, as well as trade union activities in the period ahead.

With the spirit of “Solidarity – Democracy – Discipline – Innovation – Development,” the Tran Bien Ward Trade Union proposed that the Dong Nai Provincial Trade Union focus on researching and implementing measures to improve the quality of workers’ and employees’ movements and trade union activities. These include representing, caring for, and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of union members, and working with enterprises to pay greater attention to workers’ material and spiritual well-being, such as housing, job security, wages and income, the construction of childcare and kindergarten facilities, and cultural institutions serving workers.

By Thao My – Translated by Huyen Trang, Minho