The continuous development of trade unions by investing in member training
The past year, CNV Internationaal has organized several trainings for local trade unions in Vietnam. One of the attendants, Mr. Nguyen Huu Hiep of Vietnam’s General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), was able to improve his communication, negotiation and strategic planning skills. He used these new competences to improve his work at the trade union and make changes within the trade union itself. Mr. Hiep’s experience shows that these trainings help union members to gain important skills, which they can embed in their work to make realistic improvements.
Mr. Nguyen Huu Hiep, standing in the left corner
Motivation for the training
Mr. Nguyen Huu Hiep is a senior trade unionist who has been working at the Vietnamese trade union VGCL for 11 years. During his work, which focused on increasing trade union membership and establishing grassroots trade unions, he was experiencing a number of serious struggles. It was particularly challenging for him to increase trade union memberships, workplace social dialogue, and collective bargaining agreements.
Mr. Hiep attended the training “Trade Union Organizing and Social Dialogue”, given by Dutch social dialogue expert Henk van Beers. During this training, he gained a broader understanding of labour relations and social dialogue models, as well as strategies for more effective communication with grassroots trade unions and workers.
Effective application
After attending the training, Mr. Hiep applied the skills he acquired to his work by taking a more strategic approach to planning activities, to ensure that it was suited to the practical needs of the workplace. He also developed more impactful activities that boosted member participation and took a more proactive role in supporting union members and workers. Besides that, he is now more assertive during negotiations with company leaders by using enhanced dialogue and negotiation skills, to achieve positive outcomes by creating win-win solutions for workers and employers.
Mr. Hiep also shared his new knowledge and experiences with colleagues, by organizing training sessions within VGCL, to promote effective communication strategies and social dialogue skills among union leaders. All in all, this training has helped him to realize changes that narrow the gap in partnership and communication within the trade union and create a stronger foundation for social dialogue.
Cooperation with CNV Internationaal
The programme of CNV Internationaal in Vietnam is in a continuous process of developing itself through these trainings. Mr. Hiep is now assisting in the preparation for the next training sessions. He has proposed to continue to build the capacity of VGCL trade unionists, especially on the organization of workers, the identification of unfair labour practices and the support of the development of grassroot unions.
Mr. Hiep has also proposed to start developing training materials for VGCL’s members, to help trade union officers to recruit new members and establish well-functioning grassroots unions. He argues that these materials should be based on practical examples and they should be tailored to the needs of these new unions.
Publication date 19 06 2025
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