President promulgates six new laws

HA NOI — President Truong Tan Sang yesterday promulgated six new and revised laws adopted at the third session of the 13th National Assembly, including a revised Labour Code, a revised Law of Trade Unions, and a new Law on Tobacco Control to take effect next May.

Other new laws address higher education, deposit insurance, and money laundering prevention laws.

Under the revised Labour Code, women will be entitled to six months maternity leave, an increase of two months over the amount of leave granted in the current code. In case of giving birth to twins or other multiple births, the mother will receive extra maternity leave of one month for each additional child beyond the first.

The law also gives workers five days of holiday on the occasion of the lunar new year, an increase from the current four-day holiday.

The Law on Tobacco Control regulates production, importation, transportation, storage and trade in tobacco materials and products. It also bans advertising of tobacco products or other direct marketing to consumers, and it prohibits all sales or provisions of tobacco to persons under 18.

The Law on Higher Education is expected to create positive change for the nation's university system and improve the quality of faculty. The law regulates grading policies, privatisation of university education, universities' right of self governance, and educational quality.

Later the same day, the President's Office announced seven more laws and two resolutions.

The laws include the Law of the Sea of Viet Nam, the Law on Pricing, the Justice Assessment Law, the Law on Legal Dissemination and Education, the Law on Advertising, the Law on Water Resources (amended) and the Law on Handling Administrative Violations.

The two resolutions comprise one on the implementation of the Law on Handling Administrative Violations and the other on the issuance of tax policies to deal with difficulties facing organisations and individuals.

Standing committee

The monthly meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee also convened here yesterday, presided over by National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung.

The key objective of the meeting was to assess the third session of the 13th National Assembly which adjourned in June and discuss ways to improve the quality of the upcoming session later this year, Hung said.

Most of the Standing Committee members agreed that the recent National Assembly session was a success, completing its agenda in a spirit of responsibility, democracy and flexibility.

In its meeting this week, the Standing Committee is set to approve the revised ordinance on people who have rendered services to the revolution, a statement to the Government on establishment of the city of Ba Ria in southern coastal Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, and the appointment of personnel at the State Audit of Viet Nam.

Hung also asked committee members to give their assessments of the first two years of implementation of the five-year socio-economic development plan for 2010-15, as well as to contribute to draft revisions to the Land Law and the Law Against Corruption and provide comments on what should be included in the National Assembly resolution on education and training.

In preparation for the 4th session of the 13th National Assembly, the Standing Committee was also expected to discuss proposed amendments to the nation's Constitution, last revised in 1992. — VNS