Strengthening the role of Trade Unions in protecting workers

In recent years, trade unions at all levels in Dong Nai City have continuously renewed their content and operational methods, focusing on protecting the legitimate rights and interests of union members and workers. These efforts have helped build harmonious, stable, and progressive labor relations in enterprises.

Workers at New Apparel Far Eastern (Vietnam) Co., Ltd., located in Bac Dong Phu Industrial Park, share their opinions during the periodic dialogue session for Q1-2026.

Stabilizing labor relations

According to Nguyen Duc Thang, Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai City Labor Federation, Dong Nai is one of the country's major industrial hubs, home to a large concentration of industrial parks and a substantial workforce. While the robust development of the market economy generates numerous employment opportunities, managing local labor relations also presents a significant challenge for trade union organizations.

Deeply aware of its role as both a bridge and a shield to protect workers' legal rights, over the five years from 2021 to 2025, Dong Nai's legal counseling, support, and litigation participation to protect workers have been deployed in a drastic and synchronized manner, achieving concrete milestones across all fronts. To promptly resolve queries from union members and workers, the Dong Nai Labor Federation provided labor law counseling to 50,000 workers through face-to-face consultations, mobile legal clinics at grassroots units, and hotlines, effectively alleviating workers' anxiety and providing them with accurate solutions.

Going beyond legal counseling, the municipal Labor Federation has directly provided legal aid to workers. Specifically, it has guided legal procedures for nearly 3,000 workers. The team of union officials and legal consultants participated in legal proceedings and successfully protected 618 workers in court. As a result, workers recovered legally mandated benefits and compensation totaling nearly 12 billion VND. The primary labor disputes revolved around social insurance (arrears and evasion), unlawful employer unilateral termination of employment contracts, wages, bonuses, and severance allowances.

A notable highlight in protecting workers' interests was the municipal Labor Federation's support for the grassroots Trade Union of Kobelco E&M Vietnam Co., Ltd. (Bien Hoa 2 Industrial Park) in filing a lawsuit against the company, seeking the proper implementation of pay raises in accordance with the company's regulations and the collective labor agreement. The case was not only about recovering economic benefits, but also affirmed the role of the grassroots Trade Union in being ready to protect the collective workforce's interests in court when their rights are infringed.

Le Thi Ha, a factory worker in Bien Hoa 2 Industrial Park, shared: "Lately, the trade union has always stood by us, showing care and offering timely support in many aspects of our lives and work. Thanks to their companionship, many of our legitimate rights are guaranteed—ranging from policy benefits to material and spiritual care. This acts as a practical source of encouragement, helping us work with peace of mind and commit to long-term dedication to the enterprise."

Negotiating for trade union members' benefits

Stabilizing labor relations is a top priority for trade unions at all levels in Dong Nai. Annually, the municipal Labor Federation organizes training workshops on dialogue skills and conducting workplace conferences for grassroots union officials. This reinforces workplace democracy, allowing employees to speak up, stay informed, and exercise supervisory roles. To date, the implementation of grassroots democracy at enterprises has yielded positive outcomes; the rate of trade-union-established enterprises organizing periodic dialogues has reached a high level, accounting for over 70% of eligible entities.

At the enterprise level, grassroots Trade Unions have proactively collaborated with employers to hold periodic dialogues, promptly catching the thoughts and aspirations of union members and workers. Through these workplace dialogues, employers have acknowledged and resolved numerous recommendations regarding regimes and policies, fostering mutual consensus between workers and enterprises.

So far, grassroots Trade Unions at enterprises across Dong Nai have successfully negotiated and signed 1,784 collective labor agreements (reaching 81.9%). The municipal Labor Federation has closely coordinated with departments, sectors, and authorities to actively monitor local conditions and participate in settling collective labor disputes, thereby maintaining and driving positive shifts in production and business operations while fostering harmonious labor relations.

Phan Toi Tho Hiep, Chairman of the grassroots Trade Union at Tokin Electronics (Vietnam) Co., Ltd., emphasized: "Effectively implementing workplace democracy plays a crucial role in maintaining stable production and building harmonious, sustainable labor relations. Periodic dialogues and workplace conferences serve as practical communication channels that strengthen the bond between employees and the company."

Alongside dialogue activities, the negotiation, signing, and implementation of collective labor agreements remain a priority, helping protect workers' rights and interests in a timely manner. Many collective labor agreements have become important tools for safeguarding workers' rights and interests. Negotiations have become increasingly substantive, focusing on provisions more favorable to workers than those required by law, such as pay raises, higher-value shift meals, rental-housing support, travel support, attendance bonuses, productivity bonuses, periodic health checks, and other welfare benefits.

According to Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Thang, to further improve the effectiveness of dialogue and collective bargaining, Dong Nai Trade Unions will continue to strengthen training and skills development for union officials. They will also improve the quality of their participation in developing and monitoring the implementation of labor policies and laws. In addition, Trade Unions will closely follow labor relations at enterprises to promptly identify emerging issues and address them from the grassroots level. This will help build a strong workforce and promote the sustainable development of both enterprises and the locality.

By Nguyen Hoa – Translated by Mai Nga, Minho