Vietnam And United States Strengthen Labor Cooperation

The 2023 Vietnam-US Labor Dialogue is held online. Photo: Molisa.gov.vn

Deputy Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Le Van Thanh said that the labor dialogue between the two ministries is an opportunity for the two sides to share information related to the labor situation and cooperative activities, and propose solutions to promote and develop the fields of labor, employment and social security.

The two sides jointly share information related to the labor situation, and cooperative activities and propose solutions to promote and develop the fields of labor, employment and social security.

The positive results of labor dialogues from 2000 up to now have created conditions for cooperative activities between the two sides to increasingly develop in both breadth and depth.

The two sides had cooperation projects and programs in many fields such as implementing labor laws and inspection, labor relations, child labor prevention, technical assistance programs for people with disabilities, and labor safety.

Thea Lee, deputy undersecretary for International Labor Affairs at the Department of Labor said that labor dialogue will further promote cooperation between the two countries in the coming time.

The United States looks forward to sharing priorities and identifying opportunities for cooperation to promote sustainable jobs in the two countries.

At the dialogue, the two sides shared and discussed information on labor relations and technical cooperation, including the implementation of the 2019 revised Labor Code, especially contents related to employee representative organizations, plans to amend the Trade Union Law, updates on areas of cooperation with the United States, and extension of technical assistance.

Vietnam's efforts to address child labor include updates on the implementation of the National Action Plan on Child Labor and efforts as a pioneering country.

The two sides also discussed a number of cooperation development trends related to care for people with disabilities at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum and updated the work of building policies to support them.

The 2023 Vietnam-US labor dialogue program takes place online at the headquarters of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Vietnam and the US Department of Labor. Photo: Nguyen Son

Appreciating Vietnam's common efforts over the years, Thea Lee said promoting and protecting the rights of workers in Vietnam is always a top priority for the United States.

The United States is committed to supporting Vietnam in achieving further progress.

This is shown in the joint statement between General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Joe Biden when upgrading Vietnam-United States relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

The two leaders recognized the importance of respecting internationally recognized workers' rights based on the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work of the International Labor Organization.

According to Thea Lee, ensuring workers' rights in the workplace is important to ensure a stable, modern labor system and equality for workers in economic growth.

The consistency of these rights will also attract investment from foreign businesses, reduce wildcat strikes, and be consistent with current and future trade agreements.

“We appreciate the amendments to Vietnam's Labor Code that have been made in recent years. These amendments are an important step to help Vietnam's Labor Code more closely align with international labor standards.

We hope that the decree regulating employee representative organizations and collective bargaining will soon be issued by the Vietnamese Government," she said.

The US Department of Labor also provides a lot of useful information about new trends related to care for people with disabilities, addressing child labor issues, and contributing to helping the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs have future directions.

The dialogue also evaluated the implementation of cooperative activities between the two sides in recent times as well as the expected plan in the coming time.

Through dialogue, the two sides together promote and expand areas of cooperation and effectively resolve labor and social issues to contribute to the successful implementation of inclusive and sustainable development goals.

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