The workforce of garment industry workers in Quang Tri is growing in both quantity and quality - Photo: ML

Quang Tri currently has about 60,000 union members and workers, of which 13,623 are in the business sector. Union members here have shifted towards increasing in the non-state enterprise sector and decreasing in the state enterprise sector. Currently, the proportion of workers receiving vocational training accounts for 70.2% (an increase of 20.7% compared to the beginning of the term), the proportion of trained workers with certificates is 32.5%.

There are currently a number of industries that attract a lot of workers, such as garment, processing, and wood chip production. However, most of the businesses in the area are small-scale, the sustainability of jobs, and the stability of workers' income are not high. In industrial zones and clusters with a large number of workers, there are no facilities for housing, nurseries, kindergartens, and places for recreation and entertainment for workers.

Many businesses' compliance with the law is not strict, directly affecting the rights of employees, especially the situation of unpaid wages, social insurance (SI), health insurance (HI), and illegal termination of labor contracts.

Out of a total of more than 3,316 enterprises, only 1,600 units participate in social insurance for employees, with about 25,000/32,000 employees participating in social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance. The amount of social insurance owed by enterprises for 3 months or more each year is over 30 billion VND. Labor relations tend to be complicated, labor disputes, and collective complaints are increasing.

Along with the process of innovation and economic integration of the country; the impact of new generation free trade agreements (FTA) on the implementation of international conventions on labor has a great impact on the labor movement and trade union activities. The Labor Law and Trade Unions are amended to be compatible with international practices, which also have a great impact on the activities of trade unions, especially the permission to establish representative organizations of workers in enterprises outside the Vietnam Trade Union.

In particular, in the context of integration, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, especially the rapid development of digital technology, has a profound impact directly affecting the lives, jobs and incomes of workers; meanwhile, the quality of labor resources in Quang Tri province is generally low, lacking high-quality human resources and skilled workers.

Some enterprises that are not competitive enough may be dissolved or go bankrupt, causing loss of job opportunities for workers; in enterprises with high levels of science and technology application, workers without or with low skills will be unemployed, a group of disadvantaged workers are at risk of being left behind, cheap labor is no longer a competitive advantage. The need for housing, nurseries, kindergartens, and cultural institutions for workers is an urgent issue; negative impacts in society affect the thoughts and feelings of union members and workers.

In the current general context of many opportunities and challenges, Quang Tri province is initiating and implementing many key and dynamic programs and projects, so it is forecasted that the number of workers and laborers in the locality will increase in the coming time.

Therefore, trade union activities continue to be expanded and strongly shifted to the non-state sector to promote propaganda and raise awareness among cadres, party members, workers, civil servants, and laborers about the position and role of the working class in the period of innovation and integration; pay more attention to training, fostering, and improving the educational, vocational, and professional qualifications of workers.

At the same time, strengthen inspection and supervision of the implementation of policies for workers, participate in proposing and solving urgent problems of workers today such as employment, wages, housing, social insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance...

Advise and propose to the Party Committee and government to develop projects and programs related to human resource development and vocational training for workers in Quang Tri province, meeting the needs of the labor market associated with the development of quality human resources to serve the province's key projects; mechanisms and policies, mobilizing many resources for vocational training activities for workers.

In addition, it is necessary to effectively develop union members, effectively implement grassroots democracy regulations; build harmonious, stable and progressive labor relations in enterprises; and encourage union members and employees to compete in labor, produce to achieve productivity, quality and efficiency; apply science and technology to the work process, improve designs, increase competitiveness, and actively contribute to the sustainable development of enterprises.

Trade unions at all levels continue to strongly innovate the content and form of propaganda, effectively using positive applications of the internet and social networks to bring the Party's guidelines, the State's policies and laws, the province's socio-economic development tasks, national defense and security, and the tasks of the trade union to a large number of union members and workers, contributing to raising awareness, political capacity, qualifications, professional skills, sense of discipline, and industrial style for union members and workers.

Continue to mobilize resources to promote social and charitable activities, continue to maintain and innovate housing programs "Union Shelter", "Happy Tet", "Workers' Month", "Occupational Safety and Hygiene Action Month", propose the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, the Provincial People's Committee and enterprises to build union institutions such as housing, nurseries, kindergartens, cultural and sports activities... for union members and workers.

Coordinate the inspection of the implementation of labor laws, trade unions, social insurance, and occupational safety and hygiene; supervise the state management of labor; advise and propose to the Party Committee and government to strengthen labor management, minimize violations of policies and regimes for union members and employees in enterprises. Timely grasp the thoughts and aspirations of union members and employees, and new developments in labor relations.

Strengthen legal advice and support for employees, especially in lawsuits in court; participate in resolving petitions on employees' legitimate rights and interests. Enhance the ability to recognize and protect legitimate rights and interests, and minimize employee losses. Develop a plan to implement breakthroughs in dialogue and collective bargaining, focusing on wages, bonuses, working conditions and hours.

Promote the signing and monitoring of collective labor agreements, negotiate to increase wages, income, meal quality, improve working conditions... for workers; build harmonious, stable and progressive labor relations in the enterprise.

Mai Lam

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/cong-doan-quang-tri-dong-hanh-ho-tro-cong-nhan-phat-huy-vai-tro-trong-thoi-ky-hoi-nhap-193318.htm