The grassroots level must be regarded as the decisive arena determining the vitality of trade unions
On the morning of June 4, under the theme “Unity – Democracy – Discipline – Innovation – Development”, the 14th National Trade Union Congress of Vietnam held its solemn session. Party General Secretary and State President To Lam attended and delivered an important keynote speech. The People's Deputies Newspaper respectfully presents the full text of Party General Secretary and State President To Lam’s speech.
Esteemed leaders and former leaders of the Party, State, Vietnam Fatherland Front, and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour,
Distinguished Presidium of the Congress,
Distinguished delegates, guests, and all participants attending the Congress,
Today, I am very pleased to attend the 14th National Trade Union Congress of Vietnam for the 2026–2031 term, a major event for the working class, the trade union organisation, and tens of millions of trade union members, workers, civil servants, and employees nationwide.
On behalf of the Party and State leadership, I warmly welcome the Congress and extend my sincere greetings and best wishes to generations of trade union officials, as well as all trade union members, workers, civil servants, and employees across the country.
Distinguished delegates,
The 14th National Trade Union Congress takes place as our country enters a new stage of development. The 14th National Party Congress has clearly defined the goals of national development towards 2030, with a vision to 2045; calling for strategic autonomy, self-reliance, confidence, rapid and sustainable development, towards peace, independence, democracy, prosperity, civilisation, and happiness.
Throughout this journey, the working class and workers hold an extremely important position. There can be no modern industry without a modern workforce. There can be no high labour productivity if workers are not trained, cared for, protected, and inspired with the aspiration to contribute. Sustainable development cannot be achieved if workers’ living conditions remain difficult and if their legitimate voices are not fully heard.
Therefore, this Congress is not merely a regular congress for the trade union organisation, but also an opportunity for us to answer a major question: How must Vietnam’s trade unions innovate so that they truly become a reliable support for workers, a strong bridge between the Party, the State and the working class, and an important force contributing to national development in the new era?
I basically agree with the Political Report, as well as the orientations, goals, and tasks set out by the Congress.
Distinguished delegates,
Throughout Vietnam’s revolutionary history, the working class has always been a pioneering force and the core of the alliance among workers, farmers, and intellectuals. It is the force directly creating material wealth, building the country’s economic and technical foundations, while also demonstrating organisational awareness, discipline, solidarity, and political determination.
From factories, construction sites, mines, ports, industrial parks, and export processing zones, to today’s service sectors, technology, logistics, energy, healthcare, education, finance, and the digital economy, everywhere bears the sweat, intelligence, hands, and aspirations of Vietnam’s working class and labour force.
Over recent years, amid global economic fluctuations, rapid changes in the labour market, and continued difficulties in workers’ lives, Vietnam’s trade union organisation has made many significant efforts. Trade unions at all levels have participated in developing policies and laws; supported employment, income, welfare, housing, and working conditions; organised patriotic emulation movements, encouraging skilled and creative labour; and provided assistance to trade union members and workers during difficult times.
Movements such as “Tet Reunion,” “Workers’ Month,” “Trade Union Shelters,” welfare programmes for trade union members, legal consultations, and workplace dialogues have helped bring trade unions closer to workers and make their activities more practical at the grassroots level. These are not merely figures or statistics, but concrete expressions of affection, responsibility, and solidarity from trade unions towards workers.
On behalf of the Party and State leadership, I acknowledge, commend, and warmly congratulate the important achievements of the working class, workers, civil servants, employees, and Vietnam’s trade union organisation during the previous term.
However, we must also frankly acknowledge limitations. Some trade union activities remain overly administrative and movement-oriented, failing to fully address the issues that matter most to workers. The capacity to represent, engage in dialogue, and protect workers’ rights remains limited in some places. Grassroots trade unions in many enterprises remain weak and have not been able to effectively grasp, reflect, and promptly resolve workers’ concerns.
The lives of some groups of workers, especially those in industrial parks and export processing zones, migrant workers, informal workers, low-skilled workers, and temporary workers, remain difficult in terms of income, housing, children’s education, healthcare, culture, and social security. Meanwhile, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and automation are rapidly changing employment, skills, and labour relations.
These challenges make one requirement clear: trade unions must innovate faster, deeper, and more substantially. Trade unions cannot be strong if they are distant from workers. Trade unions cannot be attractive if workers do not feel that their rights are better protected. Trade unions cannot become modern if they continue to rely mainly on paperwork, meetings, and slogans.
Distinguished delegates,
In the coming term, I propose that Vietnam’s trade unions focus on the following key tasks:
First, build a modern and strong Vietnamese working class worthy of being a pioneering force in national industrialisation and modernisation.
Today’s workers need not only diligence and skilled hands, but also knowledge, skills, discipline, industrial working style, the ability to master technology, and a spirit of innovation.
Trade unions must work with the State, enterprises, and training institutions to improve workers’ professional qualifications, digital skills, and adaptability.
Every worker must have opportunities for lifelong learning. Every industrial park must not only have factories, but also cultural facilities, housing, schools, healthcare services, and a safe, humane living environment.
Caring for workers is not only about supporting them in difficult times, but also creating conditions for them to grow, advance, and have a better future.
Second, place trade union members and workers at the centre of all trade union activities.
Trade unions were established to represent, care for, and protect workers. Therefore, every programme, plan, and movement must answer the questions: What do workers gain? Which rights are protected? Which difficulties are resolved? Which voices are heard?
The effectiveness of trade unions should not be measured only by the number of meetings, documents, or campaigns, but by workers’ trust, satisfaction, the quality of collective labour agreements, the number of successfully protected cases, and improvements in grassroots working conditions.
Wherever there are workers, there must be trade unions. Wherever workers’ legitimate rights are affected, trade unions must speak up. Wherever labour disputes may arise, trade unions must proactively engage in dialogue, mediation, uphold what is right, and protect workers’ legitimate interests.
Third, strongly renew grassroots trade unions, considering the grassroots level as the decisive arena determining the vitality of the trade union organisation.
Trade unions at higher levels must focus more strongly on grassroots units, supporting them in legal matters, negotiation skills, dialogue, dispute resolution, communications, data management, and methods of mobilising workers.
Grassroots trade union officials must stay close to workers, understand workers, hear workers’ voices, speak for workers, and dare to protect workers through law, dialogue, and responsibility.
Grassroots trade unions cannot simply become places for organising movements, collecting membership fees, or distributing gifts during holidays and Tet.
They must become places where workers turn to when they face difficulties related to contracts, wages, insurance, occupational safety, working conditions, housing, family life, and other everyday concerns.
Fourth, build harmonious, stable, and progressive labour relations, contributing to social stability and the country’s development environment.
In a socialist-oriented market economy, the interests of the State, enterprises, and workers must be harmoniously balanced.
When enterprises develop, workers must have jobs, better incomes, and improved living conditions. When workers feel secure, committed, and creative, enterprises can achieve sustainable growth.
Trade unions must improve their capacity for collective bargaining and workplace dialogue, preventing disputes early and at the grassroots level. Workers’ concerns must be heard before they become frustrations. Small conflicts must be resolved before they accumulate into serious problems.
We encourage enterprises to operate effectively, innovate, and integrate deeply into global value chains. At the same time, enterprises must respect labour laws, ensure occupational safety and hygiene, fully pay insurance contributions, and care for workers’ lives.
Investing in workers means investing in productivity, corporate reputation, and long-term development.
Fifth, build modern, professional, digitalised, transparent trade unions capable of representation in the new situation.
A digital trade union is not merely about having membership management software. A digital trade union must enable workers to easily submit petitions, receive legal advice, access information about their rights, register for support, participate in surveys, and evaluate trade union activities.
It must also help trade unions better understand labour conditions, forecast disputes early, and provide support to the right people, at the right time, and in the right way.
Trade union officials must receive more professional training in labour law, collective problem-solving, social security, digital communications, data management, organisational governance, and crisis response.
They must have dedication to workers, courage in difficult situations, skills to work with enterprises, the ability to persuade, and credibility among workers.
Sixth, trade unions must participate more actively in Party building, building the political system, and strengthening the Party’s social foundation among the working class.
Trade unions must effectively carry out communication, education, and cultivation of revolutionary ideals, patriotism, civic awareness, labour discipline, professional ethics, and the aspiration to contribute among trade union members and workers.
More outstanding workers should be identified, trained, and introduced for Party membership consideration, so that factories, construction sites, industrial parks, and enterprises increasingly have Party members who are directly involved in production, creative labour, and respected by their colleagues.
Distinguished delegates,
The Party, State, National Assembly, Government, Vietnam Fatherland Front, and the entire political system always accompany and take responsibility for trade unions and workers.
Caring for workers’ lives, creating working environments, providing vocational training, ensuring occupational safety, and supporting workers’ families with housing, healthcare, education, and rest conditions are responsibilities of the Party, the State, trade unions, enterprises, and the entire political system.
To enable Vietnam’s trade unions to successfully fulfil their tasks, I request Party committees, authorities, the Fatherland Front, socio-political organisations, and the business community to continue providing attention, coordination, and favourable conditions for trade unions to operate more effectively.
Party committees and authorities must regard caring for the working class as an important political task; regularly engage in dialogue, listen to, and promptly resolve legitimate recommendations from workers.
Policies on wages, housing, insurance, vocational training, occupational safety, and cultural facilities for workers must be implemented effectively, with inspection, supervision, and concrete results.
Trade unions must also care about workers’ lives beyond factories and workplaces, because around every worker is a wider social environment — villages, neighbourhoods, residential communities, families, parents, siblings, children, and future generations.
Immediately after the Congress, I request the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour to urgently concretise the Congress Resolution into action programmes with clear people, clear tasks, clear responsibilities, clear timelines, and clear outcomes; ensuring that the spirit of the Congress reaches every trade union level, industrial park, enterprise, production team, trade union member, and worker.
Distinguished delegates,
The country needs a more modern, resilient, and creative working class. Workers need a trade union organisation that is closer, more practical, and stronger. The nation’s development requires even greater contributions from tens of millions of trade union members, workers, civil servants, and employees nationwide.
I firmly believe that, with the glorious tradition of Vietnam’s working class; with the determination, intelligence, solidarity, and aspiration for advancement of workers; and with the trade union organisation’s commitment to renewal, the 14th National Trade Union Congress of Vietnam will open a new period of stronger, more practical, and more effective development.
I wish Party and State leaders and former leaders, leaders of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, distinguished guests, international friends, and all workers, civil servants, and employees nationwide good health, happiness, and success.
I wish the 14th National Trade Union Congress of Vietnam great success.
Thank you very much.
*The headline was added by The People's Deputies Newspaper
