Vietnam has made remarkable strides in the application of international labour standards, a means to ensure sustainable corporate growth and rights of workers, experts said at a Ho Chi Minh City workshop on August 14.

Adopted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 1998, the set of standards groups the freedom of association and collective bargaining, the abolition of all forms of coercive, forced and child labour, and discrimination at work.

Deputy Director General of the Department of Legal Affairs under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) Mai Duc Thien acknowledged that some standard labour practices are made into the law, but several others remain under consideration, citing the freedom of establishing associations as an example.

It is due to the fact that Vietnam has yet to have a full legal framework and infrastructure to make it a reality, Director of the MoLISA’s International Cooperation Department Le Thi Kim Dung explained.

To meet international standards, Vietnamese firms should come up with better workforce training schemes, she suggested.

Nguyen Trong Nghia, a representative from the Vietnam United Sweethearts garment company in the southern province of Dong Nai, said his company holds regular dialogues with workers, making it easier for them to do their good jobs.

Vietnam has so far ratified 21 out of 189 ILO conventions, and five out of eight ILO fundamental conventions.-VNA