International Labour Conference

Viet Nam pledges to fulfil ILO membership obligations

Viet Nam fully supports ILO Centenary Declaration which the Conference is expected to adopt.

News | 20 June 2019
HANOI (ILO News) – Viet Nam is committed to fulfilling its obligations as an ILO member to address growing challenges and rapid changes in the world of work, said Viet Nam’s Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung in his address to the 108th International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland on 18 June.

While the ILC is an annual event, this session of the Conference took place in the 100th year of the organization. To mark the special occasion, the focus was on the profound transformations under way in the world of work, including the evolving role of the ILO in building a future of work wanted by everybody.

The Labour Minister congratulated the ILO on its 100th anniversary while also emphasizing 100 years of Viet Nam-ILO journey where President Ho Chi Minh and the ILO founders have been sharing ideals of ensuring decent work and happiness for all.

On this occasion, Viet Nam fully supported ILO Centenary Declaration which the Conference was expected to adopt. The declaration calls for effective realization of lifelong learning and quality education for all; universal, comprehensive and sustainable social protection; respect for workers’ fundamental rights; an adequate living wage; limits of maximum working hours; safety and health at work; and better work-life balance among others.

Viet Nam’s Labour Minister also emphasized just transition measures in the accelerating digital transformation of work.

“The speed of changes disrupt constantly ways works – whether production or service – are organized, recognized and rewarded. Some may gain enormous benefits, but there are concerns many can be left behind the progresses and potentials promised by this industrial revolution 4.0,” he noted.

In this context, Viet Nam highly welcomed the ILO’s Initiative on “Work for a Brighter Future”, which builds up policy instruments to promote decent and sustainable work with new and innovative approaches. It includes recommendations of the Global Commission on the Future of Work published earlier this year. In the past few months, ILO member States, including Viet Nam, have held national level dialogues to debate the Report.

“Viet Nam is committed to working with tripartite partners of all ILO member states to address the challenges of future of work, while expecting, as a developing country, ILO’s continuous support to Viet Nam in our efforts to ensure decent work for all,” Dung added.

He informed the conference that on 14 June, the Vietnamese National Assembly voted overwhelmingly for ratifying ILO Convention 98 on the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining.

Viet Nam’s Government, workers’ and employers’ organizations, with the assistance of the ILO, are working on the revision of the Labour Code to adapt to the new labour market challenges and make it line with the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

Viet Nam is also reforming its social insurance, wage policies and industrial relations system, the official said, noting that during the process, the country has received effective and timely support from the ILO.

The 108th International Labour Conference, from 10 to 21 June, brought together nearly 6,000 delegates worldwide to seek solutions to global labour-related challenges.

On the side-line of the event, Viet Nam’s Labour Minister had a working session with ILO Deputy Director General for Policy, Deborah Greenfield, who applauded Viet Nam’s ratification of Convention 98 and its revision of the Labour Code.