Opening the event that was participated by 435 delegates from 106 countries, WFTU General Secretary Georges Mavrikos highlighted the federation’s strong development in both quantity and quality over the past years, noting that since 2005, the WFTU membership has surged by 175 percent to over 105 million in 133 countries, making it the world’s largest organisation of trade unions.
He also highly valued Vietnam’s active contributions to maintaining and strengthening the WFTU’s pioneer role in the fight for the interests of workers around the world.
In his speech, VGCL President Nguyen Dinh Khang stressed the importance of solidarity and unanimity in the progressive working class and global trade unions.
The WFTU formation and development is a vivid demonstration of workers’ solidarity so as to build a world of peace, stability, equality, friendship, cooperation, and common development, he noted, adding to that end, the VGCL will always be an active and responsible member and stand side by side with other WFTU member organisations.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the VGCL has focused on assisting pandemic-hit workers, proposing aid packages and priority policies for frontline medical workers, stepping up vaccination, and ensuring the delivery of insurance benefits, thereby affirming trade unions’ role and sense of responsibility towards members and workers.
In addition, the VGCL has also actively supported the WFTU’s call for engagement in international activities against the pandemic, according to Khang.
The 18th WFTU congress was the second of its kind to be held in Italy, after the first in 1949.
During the event, participants discussed issues related to the difficulties facing the working class worldwide amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine conflict.
