Standing Vice President Tran Thanh Hai and ACFTU Vice Chairman Jiang Guangping held talks on May 24. (Photo: VNA)

During their talks, VGCL Standing Vice President Tran Thanh Hai and ACFTU Vice Chairman Jiang Guangping mentioned trade union activities during the engagement in free trade agreements (FTAs), and stressed the need to intensify the Party leadership in trade union activities in the new situation.

Both expressed their hope for enhanced high-level meetings to boost mutual understanding and the establishment of trade union relations between localities, especially those along the border line.

Jiang briefed his Vietnamese counterpart on the operations of the ACFTU, which has developed more than 3.5 million members in new employment areas and is working hard to protect rights and interests of labourers.

For his part, Hai said after 35 years of Doi moi (Reform), the VGCL counts around 10.5 million members and over 126,000 trade union organisations.

He also talked about major issues facing the Vietnamese trade union sector like impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on production, income and living standards of labourers, as well as on trade union activities.

The fourth Industrial Revolution and the rocket development of science and technology, plus climate change impacts have created new jobs, forcing trade union organisations to revamp their operational methods, he noted.

Vietnamese trade union organisations have also played a role in consolidating policies and laws in order to ensure legal, legitimate rights and interests of labourers, while diversifying its operations to better care for their material and spiritual lives, he said.