Youth unions are few in non-state enterprises

A room-for-rent area in Long Binh Ward has a youth association.

According to the report released by Dong Nai’s Youth Union, the building of unions/associations in private and foreign-invested enterprises and room-for-rent areas have been paid a great attention in the recent years. The senior unions/associations drew up plans and established teams which made surveys and approached leaders of enterprises to introduce about youth unions/associations, found out about desires of the workers and then collaborated with labour unions in enterprises to select key forces to be able to establish youth unions/associations there. Only in 2010, unions/associations at all levels have established 15 junior youth unions with 416 members and 14 junior associations with 921 members, increasing the total number of junior unions/associations by 99 with a membership of 5418 and the total number of junior associations by 63 with a membership of 4314 across the province.

According to many youth union’s officials, the establishment of youth unions in non-state enterprises meets with a lot of difficulties.

These youth unions/associations have organized the dissemination and education about national traditions, policies and law of the Party and the State as well as awareness of health, environment to the members … Also, youth unions in enterprises called for the employers to create favorable conditions in terms of time and financial aid for employees to improve their professional skills and qualifications. Furthermore, youth unions regularly hold cultural and musical activities, pay visits and give gifts to workers leading difficult lives …

Youth unions in enterprises benefit not only the employees but also the enterprises themselves. The campaign “every youth union, many positive contributions” has, for example, motivated the employees to work harder, move innovative, more creative, certainly bringing practical profits to the enterprises, including 29 youth works that have brought more than VND 2.7 billion to the enterprises.

The Province’s Youth Union awarded organizations and individuals that were excellent in building youth unions in non-state enterprises and room-for-rent areas.

Huynh Van Tinh, Vice Chairman of the Province’s Labour Union said when workers’ spiritual lives were paid attention and encouraged, they would be certainly loyal to their working places, helping the enterprises avoid certain difficulties when the labour lacking period came. However, not every employers could understand this, especially the foreign-invested ones, he added.

Le Thi Ngoc Lan, Vice Secretary of the Province’s Youth Union said, the approach to non-state enterprises about establishment of youth unions in their companies was really difficult because the Law on foreign investment in Vietnam did mention about this issue but did not clearly stipulate a political system in enterprises. Also, she said, in room-for rent areas, although young people want to take part in the local youth union’s activities a lot, they could not due to continuous over-time work schedule which took them too much time in a day so the remaining time must be spent in sleeping so that they could be healthy enough to continue working the following day. That was the reason why the establishment of youth unions in these areas came into a lot of troubles, she explained. Furthermore, she said, some youth unions are established but ineffective.

A public bookshelf of a room-for-rent area

Ngoc Loan said Dong Nai was an industrial province so young people working as workers accounted for a large potion so in the coming time, the Province’s Youth Union would further promote the establishment of youth unions in non-state enterprises. To do this well, she said, it was necessary to closely collaborate with local trade unions and once established, these local youth unions should be remained and gradually perfected in terms of organization system, avoiding the case like a youth union in Trang Bom that some of its leaders changed their jobs after it was established as few as 2 or 3 months. In 2011, Dong Nai will make effort to establish more 20 youth unions and 15 youth associations in non-state enterprises and room-for-rent areas.

Reported by Thuy Lien, Translated by Minh Minh