Vietnam’s National Assembly has passed a revised Law on Trade Unions. This has a number of key reforms though it is not clear if this will meet Vietnam’s labour union commitments under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.
Specifically, to be compliant with these agreements Vietnam needs to ratify the International Labour Organisation Convention 87. This would require allowing trade unions to be established independent of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour with which all labour unions must currently be affiliated.
That said, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department news outlet Cong An has interpreted at least part of the law thus:
“…the conditions of voluntariness, approval of the principles and purposes of the Trade Union or the length of residence in Vietnam… will be specifically stipulated in the Charter of the Vietnam Trade Union and will be specifically guided by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor.”
This would suggest the VGLC would still play a key role in the labour union process.
Also, the new law will allow foreign workers on labour contracts that run for a minimum of 12 months to join trade unions in Vietnam, VietnamNet has noted.
‘Foreign workers can share their knowledge, skills, and experiences, help enhance the unions’ ability to integrate internationally and foster stronger connections between domestic and foreign workers, and facilitate the adoption and development of advanced operational models,” the publication goes on to say.
The aforementioned Cong An article, however, on the same issue, stresses that though foreign workers can join trade unions they will not be allowed to run for any elected positions.
See also: Human Resources in Vietnam