
Opening the event that wasparticipated by 435 delegates from 106 countries, WFTU General Secretary GeorgesMavrikos highlighted the federation’s strong development in both quantity andquality over the past years, noting that since 2005, the WFTU membership hassurged by 175 percent to over 105 million in 133 countries, making it the world’slargest organisation of trade unions.
He also highly valued Vietnam’sactive contributions to maintaining and strengthening the WFTU’s pioneer role inthe fight for the interests of workers around the world.
In his speech, VGCL PresidentNguyen Dinh Khang stressed the importance of solidarity and unanimity inthe progressive working class and global trade unions.
The WFTU formation anddevelopment is a vivid demonstration of workers’ solidarity so as to build aworld of peace, stability, equality, friendship, cooperation, and commondevelopment, he noted, adding to that end, the VGCL will always be an activeand responsible member and stand side by side with other WFTU memberorganisations.
During the COVID-19 pandemic,the VGCL has focused on assisting pandemic-hit workers, proposing aid packagesand priority policies for frontline medical workers, stepping up vaccination,and ensuring the delivery of insurance benefits, thereby affirming trade unions’role and sense of responsibility towards members and workers.
In addition, the VGCL hasalso actively supported the WFTU’s call for engagement in internationalactivities against the pandemic, according to Khang.
The 18th WFTUcongress was the second of its kind to be held in Italy, after the first in1949.
During the event,participants discussed issues related to the difficulties facing the workingclass worldwide amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine conflict./.