Making the Trade Union a reliable pillar for workers

The 14th Vietnam Trade Union (TU) Congress for the 2026–2031 term is an important event for the country’s working class and TU organizations. This occasion is not only a broad political activity but also a crucial milestone that will direct the development of TU organizations in the coming years.

Notable achievements

According to a report by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, despite numerous difficulties and challenges during the 2023–2026 period, TU officials, members, and employees nationwide have remained united and made great efforts to implement the 13th Vietnam TU Congress Resolution, achieving significant and comprehensive results across all areas of work, with many notable highlights.

The Dong Nai delegation attends the 14th Vietnam TU Congress for the 2026–2031 term.

A notable highlight is the development results of TU members. Under the leadership of the Party, the State, and authorities at all levels, together with the efforts of the entire TU system, the work of recruiting new TU members, establishing grassroots TUs, and building a contingent of TU officials has achieved significant results. From the conclusion of the 13th Congress through April 2026, more than 2.2 million new TU members were recruited, while over 15,000 new grassroots TUs and labor associations were established.

TU organizations have introduced numerous innovations to reach employees; expanded membership recruitment in the non-state and informal sectors; focused on addressing practical interests to attract employees to join the organization; and gradually applied digital technology to TU member management and the organization of activities. The quality of TU officials at all levels has also been gradually improved.

TUs at all levels have effectively fulfilled their roles in representing, caring for, and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of TU members and employees; proactively promoting sustainable employment; ensuring occupational safety and hygiene; and contributing to building harmonious, stable, and progressive labor relations. Efforts to support TU members and employees have continued to expand through practical programs.

Through programs such as Lunar New Year Reunion, Workers’ Month, TU Shelter, and TU member welfare initiatives, nearly 23 million instances of support and care have been provided to TU members and employees nationwide during Tet holidays, with a total value of nearly VND 15 trillion. The TU Meal program is a new model adopted by grassroots TUs that helps improve the quality of workplace meals for workers while strengthening solidarity, understanding, and sharing between employees and employers.

Patriotic emulation movements have continued to spread strongly, inspiring a desire to contribute and fostering the creative potential of TU members and employees. These results have become an important driving force, helping fulfill socio-economic development goals and the political tasks of each sector, locality, agency, unit, and enterprise.

Communication, education, and mobilization activities for TU members and employees have focused on innovating both content and methods. TUs at all levels have actively identified and nurtured outstanding officials and TU members for introduction to the Party for admission consideration, thereby promoting the development of Party members and Party organizations within enterprises. As a result, nearly 100,000 TU members have been admitted to the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Consolidating TU members’ trust

The Dong Nai delegation to the 14th Vietnam TU Congress consists of 34 official delegates. At the congress, the Dong Nai TU shared many outstanding results and experiences in TU activities during group discussion sessions. The delegation also brought to the congress the confidence and aspirations for the development of the contingent of workers, public employees, and laborers of Dong Nai City.

Nguyen Quoc Dung, Member of the Dong Nai City Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the municipal Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, and Chairman of the municipal Federation of Labor, presents shopping vouchers to workers.

According to Dao Minh Tan, Vice Chairman of the municipal Federation of Labor, the federation manages more than 2,300 grassroots TUs with nearly 750,000 TU members, achieving a membership recruitment rate of more than 94.8%. From 2023 to the present, the city has recruited more than 160,000 TU members and established 784 new grassroots TUs. These results demonstrate the significant efforts made by TUs at all levels amid current difficulties and fluctuations.

The negotiation, signing, and implementation of collective labor agreements have been prioritized by the TU. This undertaking is one of the key tasks contributing to the stabilization of labor relations in Dong Nai. To date, grassroots TUs at enterprises have signed 1,784 collective labor agreements, reaching 81.9%. The quality of these agreements has continued to improve, with provisions that offer greater benefits to employees.

Patriotic emulation movements have been widely implemented by TUs throughout Dong Nai, attracting large numbers of TU members and employees. As a result, nearly 120,000 initiatives, technical improvements, and production solutions across sectors such as textiles, footwear, mechanics, electronics, and wood processing have been implemented and applied in practice, generating benefits of more than VND 1 trillion for enterprises.

The municipal Federation of Labor has maintained effective coordination with departments, agencies, and sectors to monitor developments, participate in resolving collective labor disputes, and build harmonious labor relations at enterprises. Labor law consultation and legal support services have continued to diversify through the TU Legal Consulting Center. As a result, the rights of many TU members and employees have been promptly protected.

The work of representing, caring for, and protecting employees' legitimate and lawful rights and interests has been strengthened. Meanwhile, welfare and social security programs have been implemented extensively, with a positive impact. In particular, many new models and creative approaches aimed at TU members and employees have been proactively developed and replicated by TUs throughout Dong Nai, helping to strengthen TU members’ trust in the TU organizations.

Building increasingly strong TU organizations

According to grassroots TU officials, in the new era, TU organizations must be repositioned as genuine partners to TU members and employees. Beyond safeguarding essential interests, the TU must also foster aspirations for development, a sense of ownership, and the capacity to innovate and advance among Vietnamese employees in an increasingly competitive global environment.

Dinh Sy Phuc, Chairman of the Grassroots TU of TKG Taekwang Vina Joint Stock Company in Bien Hoa 2 Industrial Park, stated that, as a delegate representing the voices, thoughts, and aspirations of Dong Nai employees at the congress, he expects the Vietnam TU to pursue stronger innovation and truly serve as a reliable pillar in representing, caring for, and protecting the lawful rights and interests of employees. He said the TU should further promote its role as a partner to enterprises in innovation, implement measures to improve labor productivity and human resource quality, and build stable labor relations.

“I expect the 14th Vietnam TU Congress to open a new phase of development, a phase of rising together with the nation. The TU will accelerate digitalization in all areas, contributing to the successful implementation of the country’s industrialization and modernization and improving the material and spiritual lives of TU members and employees,” Phuc emphasized.

With a spirit of innovation, democracy, solidarity, and development, the 14th Vietnam TU Congress for the 2026–2031 term is expected to adopt important decisions that will create a strong transformation in TU activities in the coming period.

The draft Resolution of the 14th Vietnam TU Congress for the 2026–2031 term sets the goal of focusing on membership development, improving the organizational model, and enhancing the quality of TU activities. At the same time, it calls for effectively fulfilling the role of representing, caring for, and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of TU members and employees and promoting communication and mobilization efforts to encourage employees to innovate, improve labor productivity, and contribute to building a peaceful, independent, democratic, prosperous, civilized, and happy country.

The draft resolution also sets targets to be achieved by the end of the term, including a net increase of at least 4 million TU members; ensuring that 100% of TU officials at all levels receive training and professional development in TU skills; and introducing at least 300,000 outstanding TU members for the Party to consider, foster, and admit. In addition, it aims to have at least 65% of workers participate in training to improve their qualifications and professional skills, and to have at least 2 million initiatives from TU members and employees applied in production and work activities.

By Nguyen Hoa – Translated by Minh Hong, Minho