HCM City (VNA) – Ideas on the possibility of ratifying and applyingthe International Labour Organisation (ILO)’s Right to Organise and CollectiveBargaining Convention (Convention No. 98) in Vietnam were collected a seminarin Ho Chi Minh City on December 5.

According to the Ministry ofLabour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA), Vietnam has so far participatedin 21 ILO conventions, including five out of the eight most fundamental ones.The three remaining are the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention (No. 105),the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention(No. 87), and Convention No. 98.

Ha Dinh Bon, Director of the MoLISA’sDepartment of Legislation, said that Convention No. 98 is of significance inensuring the rights of labourers and the development of civilization,democracy, openness, and transparency. It aims to protect employees and tradeunions from being discriminated against, interfered with, and manipulated byemployers, he said.

Vietnam’s participation inthe right to collective bargaining is to implement a compromise agreementmechanism, one of the most important issues in the labour relationship of amarket economy, so that a trade union can conduct more effective collectivebargaining so as to better protect the legitimate rights and interests ofemployers, Bon stated.

Deputy Director of the Departmentof Legislation Nguyen Van Binh said that joining the convention on the basis ofamendments and supplements to the Labour Code confirms Vietnam’s strongcommitments as a member of the ILO, while contributing to completing thecountry’s pledges towards participating in the Comprehensive and ProgressiveAgreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the EU-Vietnam Free TradeAgreement (EVFTA).

Sarah Galeski, Co-Chair of theEuropean Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham)’s Human Resources andTraining Sector Committee, voiced her support for Vietnam’s decision to ratifythe convention, which, she said, will help consolidate labourers’ rights in thecountry and speed up the ratification of the EVFTA in the European Parliament(EP), thus contributing to fostering economic growth and improving socialwelfare for Vietnamese labourers.

The country’s ratificationwill show its strong commitment to protecting employees’ rights and followobligations related to labour within the EVFTA framework, she stated.

Member enterprises of theEurocham are willing to support works related to the ratification andenforcement of the convention in relevant countries, she added.

Delegates at the seminarstressed the need for Vietnam to take action to demonstrate its vigorousefforts in the convention’s participation and strive to ratify it in early 2019so that the EP can consider the country’s next move in March 2019.–VNA