Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính speaks at the meeting. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính called for more efforts to bring workers back to factories and restart production quickly and safely.

The Prime Minister made the statement on Saturday, presiding over a meeting on the working relations between the Government and the Việt Nam General Confederation of Labour for 2021 and orientations for the next year.

Confederation President Nguyễn Đình Khang said that in the first nine months of this year, amid the complex development of the COVID-19 pandemic, the trade union has been working with Government and firms in the fight against the pandemic and caring for workers affected.

To date, it has provided nearly VNĐ16 trillion to more than 19 million people and workers according to Resolution 68/NQ-CP; delivered support of about VNĐ38 trillion from the Unemployment Insurance Fund to nearly 13 million employees and nearly 390,000 employers (according to Resolution 116/NQ-CP). Trade unions at all levels have supported union members and employees with a total amount of more than VNĐ5.5 trillion.

Government agencies and the labour confederation have also co-operated in supporting labourers in many other areas, such as taking care of union members and employees during the Lunar New Year; making policies and laws related to workers, labour and trade union organisations; researching, studying and implementing the Resolution of the 13th Party Congress; mobilising union members and employees to participate in the election of the National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels; and organising emulation movements.

The confederation asked the Government and the PM to direct ministries, sectors and local authorities on a number of issues such as ensuring the interests and social welfare of the workers.

The Government’s office said the cabinet and the confederation have been collaborating well in contributing to achieving the goal of socio-economic development and protection of legal and legitimate rights of the workers. The Government, the PM, the ministries and sectors, and local authorities have issued many policies on goods supply, social welfare and job creation to support people and firms affected by the pandemic.

PM Chính emphasised solutions to protect rights, take care of workers' lives, overcome disruptions in the labour market, and create stable jobs for workers in the current difficult context.

The Prime Minister proposed fundamental solutions to solve the housing problem for workers such as improving institutions, mechanisms, policies, planning, arranging land fund, and mobilising resources.

Emphasising the importance of overcoming labour supply chain disruptions and bringing workers back to production enterprises soon safely, the Prime Minister stated many specific solutions such as ensuring welfare and security policies, protecting and enhancing the legitimate interests (both material and spiritual) of employees.

He also mentioned the need to develop a programme to improve skills for workers, which will go hand in hand with production and business development to create stable jobs. The Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to coordinate with the General Confederation and other agencies to implement these tasks in detail.

Regarding workers' lives, the Prime Minister said that the Party and State have been actively implementing the vaccine strategy, vaccine diplomacy, striving in the fourth quarter to cover vaccines for priority groups, including workers. He also assigned the Ministry of Education and Training to consider and urgently direct the implementation of the roadmap for students to return to school in safe locations.

Participants of the meeting discussed outcomes of the collaboration, orientations, tasks and measures to improve the relations in the future.

PM Chính spoke highly of the active response by the trade unions and workers to the pandemic fight. He asked them to continue working with the whole country in the fight and economic recovery. — VNS