TRADE UNIONS OF VIETNAM
The article deals with an objective need for a systematic and purposeful work on training and professional development as well as the general level of education of the Vietnamese trade union staff in the market economy conditions. The author emphasizes that it is the peculiarity of socialistically oriented Vietnamese economic market, that has a distinctive effect on all the aspects of life and activities of the country’s population. This is especially true of such an important representative of civil society institutions as trade unions. Representing the workers’ interests and, above all, fulfilling their protective function, the trade unions should comply with the spirit of the time, the objective processes that take place in the life of the state and world. Thus, it is necessary to take into account the the undeniable fact that over the past few years, the level of education and general culture of the Vietnamese workers on the one hand, and on theother of the the entrepreneurs and owners (the substantial part of them is now represented by foreigners), has increased significantly. The entrepreneurs, especially the foreigners, make a good use of such a factor as the low labour cost in Vietnam. Under these conditions, the Vietnamese trade unions should have not just a higher knowledge level, but also special training, particularly for the collective agreement campaigns. Therefore, this article identifies the main directions for the staff preparation, retraining, rising the level of professional skills, primarily for social and labor spheres, that Vietnamese trade unions can follow today. Since the Institute of the Trade Union Movement of Vietnam General Confederation of Labour is the main venue for training of the trade union activists, this is where the original concept of this work has been developed, taking into account the main features of the current state of the economy of Vietnam. The article reflects the main provisions of this concept and contains anextensive statistical and analytical material.