Sticking to the military-defense mission and the development of the working class of Vietnam, over the past 5 years, the Defense Trade Union has paid much attention to building a strong organization that functions properly and brings into full play its role in all working areas of the Army. Under the new requirements of the task of building the Army, defending the Motherland, and developing the defense industry, the Defense Trade Union is necessarily developed to meet the task requirements.

Over the past five years, under the leadership of the Central Military Commission, the General Political Department of the Vietnamese People's Army, the Party committees, political organizations at all levels, trade unions across the Army have developed, operated in accordance with their functions and tasks, and achieved numerous practical results. The contents and modes of operation have been innovated to stick to the practice of the Army construction, defense consolidation, and national defense and the objectives, tasks, and action programs of the Congresses of the Army Trade Union. Under the requirements on reorganization and renewal of enterprises and streamlining of payroll and organization, grassroots trade unions have been strengthened and consolidated in line with the scale, model, and functions of enterprises, agencies, and units. The Rules of operating have been always maintained and promoted. As a result, the role and status of trade unions continue to be confirmed. Members and defense workers, officials, and laborers mature in all aspects with strong political will, good professional ethics, and observance of labor law and disciplines, which helps promote the tradition and nature of the Vietnamese working class and the "Uncle Ho’s Soldiers" to fulfilled all assigned tasked.

With the spirit of "initiative, creativity, innovation, and practicality," the Defense Trade Union has thoroughly implemented the emulation movements in association with the promotion of learning and following Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, dignity, and style and the Campaign of "Promoting tradition, devoting talents to be worthy of the Uncle Ho’ Soldiers title" with specific and practical contents and targets in line with actual tasks of each agency, unit, and enterprise. During the implementation, trade unions at all levels have actively cooperated with agencies and units in organizing the Contest of "Skill Training, Skill Contest" and commended and rewarded collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements in all working aspects to create a strong spillover effect among members and defense workers, officials, and laborers. At the same time, a favorable environment has been created for members and defense workers, officials, and laborers to train and contribute their talents, intellect, and creativity in working and emulation to fulfill the assigned tasks. Several projects, works, and technical innovations have been widely applied, which not only brought about high socio-economic efficiency but also solved difficulties in production and repair of weapons and military technical, training, and combat equipment and vehicles of the Army. These results have made important contributions to the development of the defense industry, construction of the revolutionary, regular, elite, and gradually modernized Army to firmly protect the socialist country of Vietnam.

Lt. Gen. Le Hien Van chairs a conference on trade union (Photo: qdnd.vn)

Under the increasingly demanding requirements of the current tasks of national protection, Army construction, consolidation and development of the defense industry, the trade union in the Army should closely adhere to tasks, take initiatives and innovate contents and modes of operation to create synergy and fulfill the assigned tasks. In order to improve the effectiveness of trade union activities and worker movement in the Army, the party committees, commanders, political commissars, politicians, and political agencies at all levels in the Army should continue to pay attention to the leadership and direction to further promote the role of trade unions in building, organizing, gathering, and uniting the contingent of members and defense employees and workers, of which the following important contents should be implemented:

Firstly, the effectiveness of leadership and direction of the Party committees, commanders, political commissars, politicians, and political agencies at all levels in the trade union work should be enhanced. It is necessary to thoroughly grasp the Party’s viewpoint on the construction of the working class and mass mobilization work, especially the Central Military Commission’s Action Program on implementing Resolution No.20/NQ-TW of the 6^th Plenum (10^th Tenure) on "Continuing to build the Vietnamese working class in the period of industrialization and modernization of the country" in the Army. The leadership of trade union work should be considered as an important and regular political task. The monthly, quarterly, and yearly trade union work contents should be included in the leadership resolutions, and party committee members should be assigned to directly monitor. In addition, directing officials and political agencies should develop plans for implementation and intensify inspection and supervision and create favorable conditions for trade unions to function properly and perform their tasks effectively. Trade union staffs should actively and closely follow their responsibilities and tasks, renovate their working methods and behaviors, and advise "properly and appropriately" to assist the Party committees, leading officials, and agencies in leading, directing, and guiding the operation of trade unions in accordance with practical requirements. At the same time, the situation and tasks should be closely and firmly grasped to clearly identify inadequacies and difficulties in organization and operation so as to promptly direct, settle and bring into full play the roles and responsibilities of trade union organizations, especially those at the grassroots in the implementation of political tasks and unit construction. The Defense Trade Union Board should continue to closely coordinate with the Ministry of Defense's functional agencies to thoroughly grasp and implement Directive No.01/CT-BQP dated January 5^th, 2016 by the Minister of Defense on improving the skills of technical workers to contribute to building a contingent which is strong in politics and elite in professional skills to meet the requirements of task in the new situation.

Secondly, the quality and effectiveness of propaganda and education among trade union organizations should be actively renovated and improved. The contents of propaganda and education should be concentrated on raising political, class stance, culture, and legal awareness for trade union members and laborers with focus placed on the Party’s policies and guidelines, the State’s law, the Army’s tasks, trade union organizations’ functions and tasks, the Resolution of the 12th Congress of Vietnam Trade Union, the Action Plan for the implementation of the Resolution of the 6^th Plenum (10^th Tenure) on " Continuing to build the Vietnamese working class in the period of industrialization and modernization of the country", the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor’s Action Plan on the implementation of the Resolution of the 12^th Party Congress, The Action Program of the 9^th Congress of the Army Trade Union, and resolutions, directives, party and political work plans of their own level, and the superior’s political education programs on trade union organizations, etc.

Thirdly, the emulation movements in defense trade unions should be accelerated to contribute to successfully fulfilling the political tasks of each agency, unit, and the Army as a whole. Trade union organizations should closely follow the functions, tasks, characteristics, and situation of units and requirements of political tasks to organize emulation movements with specific contents and criteria with focus placed on overcoming weaknesses and improving the senses of responsibility and law and discipline observance, professional skills, and product quality. In implementation, it is necessary to closely associate the emulation movements launched by trade union organizations with the Determined to Win Emulation Movement, the Movement of learning and following Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, dignity, and style, and the Campaign of "Promoting tradition, devoting talents to be worthy of the title of Uncle Ho’ Soldiers”. Importance should be attached to the renewal of contents, forms, and methods of directing and organizing movements in line with each type of establishment to meet the requirements of tasks, bring about high efficiency, and contribute to encouraging and attracting people to actively participate and promote intellectuals and talents in production and construction of strong trade union organizations. The work of preliminary review, review, commendation, and exemplary popularization should be well organized to create spillover effect and strong motivating force to encourage members, workers, officials, and defense workers to enthusiastically emulate in fulfilling the assigned tasks.

Fourthly, the function of managing the trade union’s social activities should be well performed, and legitimate rights and interests of trade union members, officials, employees and defense workers should be paid due attention. The Regulation on Democracy at grassroots level should be thoroughly grasped and well implemented. Annually, trade unions in agencies, units, and enterprises should organize the conferences of workers, employees and laborers and the military congresses to promote the democratic rights of trade union members, officials, employees, and defense workers in participating in building comprehensively strong units. The quality of democratic dialogue, negotiation, signature, and implementation of collective labor agreements should be improved to serve as a basis for the protection of the legitimate rights and interests of trade union members and laborers. The activities of legal consultancy and assistance for workers, especially issues related to their rights and obligations should be strengthened. Leaders and commanders of all levels should intensify the inspection and supervision of the observance of regimes and policies on labor legislation, especially those on social insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance, and occupational protection and, concurrently, actively propose and participate in settling the proposals on regimes and policies related to the rights and interests of trade union members, officials, employees, and defense workers.

Finally, strong trade union organizations should be built to meet the task requirements. Leaders and commanders at all levels should concentrate on consolidating and raising the quality of activities of grassroots trade unions in accordance with Resolution No.6a/NQ-TLĐ dated January 6^th, 2011 by the Executive Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (the 10^th Tenure) on "Renovating the contents and modes and improving the quality of activities of grassroots trade unions", Directive No.752/CT-CT dated July 31th, 2006 by the General Department of Politics on "Strengthening the building of grassroots trade unions to meet the requirements and tasks of the Army and development of defense industry in the in the period of industrialization and modernization of the country". The Defense Trade Union Committee should closely coordinate with the functional agencies of the Ministry of Defense to continue studying and advising on perfecting and consolidating models and amending and supplementing the trade union working regulations in line with enterprises in the process of reorganizing, renovating, and equitizing the Army enterprises in the new situation.

Good implementation of the above contents and solutions will be the basis for trade union organizations in the Army to promote their roles and functions in mobilizing, gathering, and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of union members, officials, and defense workers, contributing to building comprehensively strong agencies, units and enterprises and creating a synergy to successfully implement the tasks of construction and protection of the Motherland in the new situation.

Lieutenant General Le Hien Van, Deputy Director of the General Political Department