Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm, incumbent and former Party, State leaders at the opening ceremony of the 14th Việt Nam Trade Union Congress on June 4. —VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The 14th Việt Nam Trade Union Congress for the 2026–31 term officially opened in Hanoi on June 4, bringing together 780 outstanding delegates representing the aspirations, determination and collective wisdom of nearly 10 million trade union members nationwide.

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam attended the event and delivered a keynote address.

Also in attendance were Politburo members, including Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng, National Assembly Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn, and Permanent Member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Trần Cẩm Tú, as well as former Party and State leaders.

In his opening remarks, Nguyễn Anh Tuấn, member of the Party Central Committee and President of the Việt Nam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), highlighted the achievements recorded during the 2023–26 period. He noted that both the coverage and quality of collective labour agreements have improved significantly, with such agreements now covering 80.42 per cent of enterprises that have established grassroots trade unions.

Employee welfare programmes have also been expanded and diversified. Over the past two years, the trade union system has allocated more than VNĐ27.2 trillion (over US$1 billion) to support workers nationwide.

Patriotic emulation movements have continued to gain momentum, encouraging innovation and creativity among workers. More than 380,000 initiatives have been applied in practice, generating economic benefits exceeding VNĐ40 trillion and contributing directly to business performance and national development, he noted.

Despite a challenging environment, trade unions nationwide recruited more than 2.2 million new members and established over 15,000 new grassroots trade unions and labour associations between the start of 2024 and May 2026.

According to Tuấn, these achievements reflect the close guidance of the Party, effective coordination among State agencies, local authorities, the Việt Nam Fatherland Front and socio-political organisations, support from employers and, above all, the dedication and innovation demonstrated by trade union officials, members and workers across the country.

The VGCL President said the draft report submitted by the 13th Executive Committee of the VGCL sets several overarching goals for the 2026–31 term: to expand membership, improve organisational structures and operational effectiveness, strengthen the representation and protection of workers’ rights and legitimate interests, promote workplace democracy, encourage innovation and the application of science and technology, develop new productive forces, enhance labour productivity, and contribute to building a peaceful, independent, democratic, prosperous, civilised and happy Việt Nam.

The report also outlines 10 key performance targets and five major groups of tasks and measures for the coming term.

Addressing the country's new development requirements, Tuan stressed that Vietnam's trade unions recognise their important mission and responsibilities.

He said the organisations must become stronger to serve as a solid socio-political foundation for the Party’s leadership, more attractive in order to unite and educate workers, more effective in representing and protecting workers’ rights and interests, and more innovative in supporting the Government’s efforts to improve labour productivity and national competitiveness and realise national strategic goals.

He added that trade unions must also undergo substantial reform to work more closely with employers in safeguarding jobs, raising incomes and improving living standards while fostering harmonious, stable and progressive labour relations. — VNA/VNS