Over the past years, trade unions within the General Department of Defence Industry have carried out reforms in contents and methods of their operation. They have performed the tasks of political and legal education, emulation-commendation, organization and cadre building, initiation of unionists, protection of legitimate rights and benefits of labour in an orderly, effective manner. Yearly, 95% of its trade unions are rated comprehensively strong, which greatly contributes to building pure, strong party organizations and comprehensively strong enterprises, units and General Department as well as fostering the developing the defence industry and the Military in the new condition.

The General Department’s Political Bureau meets and gives presents to unionists and employees of the Factory Z113 on the occasion of 2019 Tet holiday

The General Department’s task now has advantages and faces difficulties. Notably, defence production decreases while public goods production undergoes intense competitiveness. Its cadres and labour encounter financial difficulties. Besides, the General Department is experiencing the process of renewing, rearranging, and improving the effectiveness of enterprises. Hostile forces are stepping up their “peaceful evolution” strategy and tricks of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” from within to undermine the role of the working class and sabotage the Military and country. Therefore, to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the trade union work, build a contingent of strong defence employees and workers, and develop defence industry sustainably, the General Department has determined to effectively implement the basic measures as follows.

First, promoting the work of propagation and education to raise cadres, unionists, and defence labour’s awareness of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, the Party’s guidelines, the State’s policy and law, and viewpoints of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence on the role of the working class in general, military trade union cadres and members in particular in the Party’s revolutionary cause and the Homeland construction and protection. In this regard, emphasis should be placed on the Resolution of the 12^th National Party Congress, the 10^th Party Central Committee’s Resolution 20-NQ/TW on continuing to build the working class of Vietnam in the period of accelerating national industrialization and modernization, the 11^th Politburo’s Resolution 06-NQ/TW on building and developing defence industry until 2020 and beyond. The work of propagation and education must be carried out frequently, continuously, particularly in grass-roots level units, diversified, and made shorter and easier to understand and follow in accordance with each group of objects. In the process, the synergy of all organizations, forces, means, and cultural institutions at grass-roots levels should be encouraged. At the same time, the work of political education and ideological encouragement for unionist must be combined with the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and lifestyle, the Campaign “promote tradition, devote talent, deserve to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers”, and the movement entitled “studying to improve knowledge and professional competence”.

Second, regularly taking part in management as a function of trade unions and associating their emulation movements with the Determined to Win emulation movement. Trade unions within the General Department should continue effectively carrying out the emulation movements, such as “good, creative labour”, “studying to improve knowledge and professional competence to meet the requirements for integration and development”, “enhancing the quality of products, particularly defence ones” in line with the Determined to Win emulation movement and campaigns launched by the General Department, the Military and the country. In the process, they should always renew and improve the contents, forms and methods of emulation in accordance with units; review emulation movements, drawn lessons, reward and multiply typical examples. At the same time, they should cooperate with functional offices in implementing the Regulations on Democracy at grass-roots level, ensuring that all unionists and defence employees have the right to “know, discuss, inspect, supervise and decide” the issues related to their legitimate rights and benefits. Leaders of units, enterprises, factories, and companies shall hold dialogues with their labour, “listen to their workers and make them understand and believe” so as to create the open, democratic atmosphere between the labour and employers. Trade unions at all levels must frequently stay close to units and enterprises and grasp the production process and the labour’s ideology and aspirations to opportunely develop measures for handling difficulties, creating a favourable condition for production, and building harmonious labour relationships.

Third, continuing to take care of and protect the legitimate rights and benefits of unionists and defence employees as well as carry out social activities. The whole General Department should focus on building, inspecting and supervising the policies for the labour, particularly for those who are working in the dangerous, hazardous environment, grasping the situation, detecting and opportunely reporting and settling shortcomings under the authority, and well executing the regulations on labour safety and hygiene, occupational disease and fire and explosion prevention and control. At the same time, trade unions should cooperate with business leaders and competent offices in providing employments and improving the working condition, life and welfare of unionists and defence employees, supplementing and formulating policies for opportunely handling difficulties of unionists and defence employees, inspecting and supervising the process. Trade union branches and cadres at all levels should pay due regard to ensuring unionists and defence employees’ material and spiritual life, while stepping up cultural-sports activities, the campaign on building civilized lifestyle and cultural families, the “gratitude movement”, and the Program entitled “trade union homes and comradeship” launched by the General Department of Politics and the Vietnam General Federation of Labour.

Fourth, unceasingly improving the effectiveness of trade union operation and building excellently strong trade unions at grass-roots level. Trade unions at all levels should continue to grasp and execute the Directive 752/CT-CT by the General Department of Politics on “building strong trade unions at grass-roots level”, consolidate trade unions at grass-roots level according to types of enterprises and public service units under the Party Central Committee’s Regulations 61-QĐ/TW, and well perform the work of planning, training, using and promoting trade union cadres. Yearly, units and enterprises should set the goals, targets and methods for building strong trade unions under the regulations, objectively and accurately evaluate the quality of trade unions and unionists, and opportunely commend and reward typical examples. According to the General Department’s targets, annually, over 96% of its trade unions at grass-roots level is rated strong, 100% of its trade union cadres at all levels attend refresher courses, 100% of its trade union presidents at grass-roots level experience training courses on professional theory about the trade union work under the university-level programs, over 30% of members of trade union executive boards at all levels is female, and 50% of its trade unions at grass-roots level has key female cadres.

Fifth, enhancing the leadership and direction of party committees, commissars, business leaders, and political offices over the workers’ movement and trade union operation. Units and enterprises should continue to grasp and well implement the Central Military Commission’s Action Program 501-CTr/ĐU, dated July 22^nd 2016 and the Action Program 6116-CTr/ĐU, dated November 6^th 2009 by the General Department Party Committee on continuing to build Vietnam’s working class in the period of accelerating national industrialization and modernization”; attach importance to initiating new members into the Party within military trade unions; formulate the plans for building a contingent of leaders, managerial cadres, and technical cadres; undertake researches and build proper models of trade union within the General Department’s enterprises. Party organizations’ resolutions and working plans of business leaders and companies must include the leadership and direction over the trade union operation. Great value should be attached to making cadres and party members in charge of trade union work capable of joining the corresponding party committees; reviewing and consolidating the trade unions at grass-roots level; renewing the operation of trade unions under the Vietnam Trade Union’s Charter and the Regulations on military trade union work. At the same time, it is essential to closely lead the work of planning, training and using trade union cadres and improve the quality of meetings of trade union groups and executive boards. It is important to promote the role of political offices in giving instructions to and directing the trade union operation; political offices must respect and listen to the opinions of the labour and trade unions and adopt proper measures to settle the issues. Moreover, they should direct the exercise of the rights of labourers and policies for the labour under the regulations.

Maj. Gen. Nguyen Viet Xuan, Deputy Commissar of the General Department of Defence Industry