VietNamNet Bridge – The 10^th Congress of the Vietnam Trade Union was closed Wednesday morning. Dang Ngoc Tung was re-elected as the Chairman of the Vietnam Confederation of Labour.

Dang Ngoc Tung was re-elected as the Chairman of the Vietnam Confederation of Labor.

The five Vice Chair-people were also re-elected, including Mr. Nguyen Hoa Binh, Mr. Hoang Ngoc Thanh, Mr. Mai Duc Chinh, Mr. Nguyen Van Ngang, and Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hong.

The congress deputies also elected a 13-member inspection committee, led by Do Xuan Hoc.

At a press conference on Wednesday morning, Chairman Hoang Ngoc Thanh said the congress will submit eight proposals to the Party and 12 to the National Assembly and the Government.

These proposals are mainly about strengthening Party-related activities and the operations of politic and social organizations among the working class; amending the Law on Trade Union, compiling and issuing the Law on Labor Safety, as well as the Law on Minimum Wage.

According to Tung, protecting the interests of workers must be based on the laws.

“The Law on Trade Union in 1990 has exposed shortcomings, which needs to be solved. The Vietnam Confederation of Labour will try to propose the National Assembly to consider this law in the agenda of the second session of 2009, besides the Labor Code,” Tung emphasized.

The congress has set some goals for the next five years: at least 70% of grassroots trade unions will be negotiating with employers about signing labor contracts for workers, having at least 70% of workers being trained; slashing the number of occupational accidents; make sure at least 65% of workers have social insurance; and admitting at least 1.5 million new members.

Do Minh