The session was attended by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. Former Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, former Presidents Tran Duc Luong and Truong Tan Sang, and former Chairmen of the National Assembly Nguyen Van An and Nguyen Sinh Hung were also present.
Speaking at the session, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong spoke highly of the efforts made by the staff and members of trade unions at all levels over the past five years. The Party chief emphasised that the Party, State and people always pay special attention to the working class and workers. In the course of history, the working class has always been the vanguard of the Vietnamese revolution with many glorious traditions.
Party General Secretary Trong suggested that trade unions at all levels should pay due attention to the legitimate interests of union members and more effectively perform their role as a representative agency and protect the legitimate rights and interests of its members and workers.
Building a strong working class is the responsibility of the whole political system, the whole society and the efforts made by of each worker, he said, noting that the leadership of the Party and the State management play a decisive role, while trade unions play a direct role in the care of the working class.
In its report, the 11th-tenure VGCL Executive Committee said the entity has the functions of a people’s organisation under the Party’s leadership, while representing workers in labour relations.
Over the last five years, trade unions have advised the Party and State on a plan on building facilities for workers such as housing, nurseries and entertainment places in industrial parks and export processing zones, and have taken part in the investment and construction of these works.
The VGCL has effectively played its role as the representative of workers in the National Wage Council, as it has helped to raise the minimum wage by more than 55% in the past five years, according to the report. President of the 11th-tenure VGCL, Bui Van Cuong, said there were more than 10 million trade union members nationwide as of the end of November 2017, up 2.1 million from the term’s beginning.
The VGCL’s external activities have also obtained important outcomes, helping promote Vietnamese trade unions’ stature in the international labour and trade union movements and capitalising on foreign support in the field of labour and trade unions, he added.
