More than 70% of non-state businesses and foreign enterprises have had grassroot trade unions and signed collective labor agreements; over 80% of collective labor agreements have been signed under negotiation and assurance in quality with many terms bringing benefits for laborers compared with legal regulations and among others. These are concrete targets that the provincial Labor Union has set out in the program of improving quality of negotiation, signing and implementation of collective labor agreements.
At Suntech Vina Company in My Phuoc 3 IP.
Benefits for laborers should be ensured
As statistics, the whole of the province in the past year had nearly 65% of non-State enterprises (equivalent to 1,263 out of 1,953) with grassroot trade unions signed collective labor agreements. The figure is still low and it is necessary to have many more synchronous measures to improve the number of grassroot trade unions under signing of collective labor agreements, according to reps of all level grassroot trade unions.
If enterprises want to export their products to foreign nations, it is essential to have the third-party’s assessment. And, the assessment must base on collective labor agreements. Therefore, most of the terms of collective labor agreements have been at present cited from Labor Code with many terms bringing benefits for laborers. So, collective labor agreements are often composed by enterprises.
Sharing this problem, Pham Trong Thang from Ding Gia Company trade union in Kim Huy Industrial Park said that the company’s collective labor agreement is often very long with contents under the Labor Code. Similarly, Nguyen Le Hanh, chairman of Scancom Company trade union in Song Than I industrial park said “Collective labor agreement in our company is very long with terms under the Labor Code and several terms bringing benefits for workers. In my opinion, collective labor agreement should be equal to an A4 paper with contents bringing benefits for laborers”.
Collective labor agreement should be more practical
Facing poor quality of collective labor agreement, the provincial Labor Union just planned to expedite a program of improving quality of negotiation, signing and implementation of collective labor agreement in the period of 2013-2014.
Nguyen Thien Phuoc, vice chairman of the provincial Labor Union said that one of requirements of the plan is to reality of collective labor agreement. Accordingly, the plan’s concrete goals are to strive to reach more than 70% of non-State enterprises and foreign companies having grassroot trade unions under negotiation and signing collective labor agreements; over 80% of collective labor agreements under assurance of quality till 2018.
In order to gain the set impressive figures, all level trade unions will continue to improve trade union cadres and employers as well as laborers’ awareness on role and importance of negotiation and signing of collective labor agreements in the new period.
In addition, they will strengthen higher level trade union’s role on assisting locals to negotiate, sign and implement collective labor agreements and simultaneously high level trade unions should assess quality of collective labor agreements of locals.
Pursuant to Article 44 of the Labor Code, collective labor agreement is a document negotiated between labor workgroups and employers. The agreement is signed according to volunteer, equality and publicity. The State encourages signing of collective labor agreements with contents bringing benefits for laborers compared with regulations of the Labor Code.
Reported by T.Thao, T.Binh – Translated by A.C
