The Institute for European Studies under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences in conjunction with the Naples University L’Orientale kick-started the project “Strengthening workers’ right and representation in Vietnam” on July 1 in Hanoi.

The scheme is a continuation of the project “Strengthening the role of workers and trade unions” which was implemented from 2009-2011 by the Institute for European Studies and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) with assistance from the European Union.

The new project will run for 30 months starting from January 2013, and is expected to make it easier for workers to access legal advice and improve the capacity of advisors through setting up trade union legal consultation centres in Hanoi and the northern provinces of Vinh Phuc and Hai Duong.

Vietnam has more than 7.5 million trade union members and over 110,000 grassroots trade unions from all economic sectors.

The country is undergoing rapid industrialisation, with a large number of workers working in foreign-invested factories under austere conditions with no regard to their legal rights.

The project will help improve the effectiveness of studies so as to grasp the workforce’s needs and status, provide technical assistance for legal consultancy at a provincial level, and increase the VGCL’s role in policy discussions to raise a voice for the labour force, said Professor Pietro P. Masina from the Naples University L’Orientale, who is the project coordinator.-VNA