Project empowering civil society, workers launched

Hanoi (VNA) – A conference was held in Hanoi on November 29 to launch a project empowering civil society and workers.

The project, co-financed by the European Union and the Vietnamese government, will be run until May 2021 aiming to improve the capacity of social organisations involved in labour, thus contributing to the development of Vietnamese society.

Speaking at the event, Director of the Institute for European Studies Nguyen An Ha said that during international economic integration, Vietnam’s economic structure is shifting from agriculture to industry and services. Many labourers in rural areas have migrated to urban areas and surrounding areas.

However, they face difficulties in settling in these areas and many of them have to return to their homeland when aged above 35, an age at which many factories lay off workers, posing pressure on labourers and the social welfare system, Ha stated.

The Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, which represents labourers, have carried out many activities to support labourers. However, it can’t reach all aspects of labourers’ lives.

Therefore, the involvement of social organisations in assisting labourers is essential, Ha affirmed, adding that the participation of these organisations will contribute to supervising the implementation of free trade agreements.

The project aims to establish a network of social organisations related to labour, increasing the role of selected organisations through providing training and financial assistance for them, and expanding the involvement of the organisations in policy dialogues.-VNA