Delegates at the conference (Source: baodansinh.vn)
Hanoi (VNA) – Social dialogue, labour productivity and working conditions are vital for Vietnam’s global integration, heard a workshop in Hanoi on October 24.
The event was jointly organised by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs.
Participants highlighted Vietnam’s intensive regional and international integration, including in labour and social affairs, in which the country joins the international labour distribution, the global supply chain and requiring the protection of rights and interests of labourers.
The country also engages in ensuring social security, promoting social equality and complying with common rules, including UN conventions and international labour standards.
They underlined benefits Vietnam will gain from the global integration such as increasing foreign investment, bigger labour market, technology transfer, and labour productivity enhancement.
They also pointed to challenges facing Vietnam in improving productivity and working conditions and promoting social dialogues with both big companies and small- and medium-sized enterprises.
According to the ILO, labour productivity, social dialogue and working conditions create impetuses for economic growth and sustainable development for all stakeholders.
Pointing to Vietnam’s shortcomings in the three fields, the organisation suggested the country take comprehensive and continuous measures to improve them.
ILO Director General in Vietnam Chang-hee Lee stressed the need for a competitive economy to ensure sustainable livelihood for the working-age population.
The country also needs a sustainable business environment and flexible labour market regulations to minimise negative impacts of outside shocks on labourers, he said.
Vietnam, as a member of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Europe-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), has to revise its Law on Labour in accordance with the ILO’s Declaration 1998 on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, Lee said.
Swiss Ambassador to Vietnam Beatrice Maser Mallor underscored the middle income trap that Vietnam has been warned of, saying that promoting social dialogue, increasing labour productivity and improving working conditions play a significant role in meeting the requirements of the production globalisation, thus contributing to sustainable and comprehensive growth.
It is time for the Vietnamese government to review its policies in these fields in order to raise productivity and create more favourable working conditions for labourers, said Deputy Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs Doan Mau Diep.-VNA
