In Vietnam, wages, salaries, worker benefits and working conditions are not meeting the standards. Issues such as exploitation, personal humiliation, food poisons and worker injuries due to lack of safety are often happening for years and at the degree of nation- wide.
The Board of Labor (an organization of the communist government) as stated in the document and in propaganda (state owned) media, is an organization representing for the workers’ rights. However, in reality, cadres and officials in this organization never serve for the rights of the workers. Their tasks are to monitor and constrain the workers’ activities in order to maintain the highest benefits for the employers.
Therefore, since 1995, there have been about over 5000 labor strikes with participation of over 20, 000 employees despite that all the strikes were interfered and considered illegal by the Vietnam government and they used oppressions to disband the strikes. The Board of Labor is absolutely not working for the rights of the workers and totally lean towards the employers in all strikes.
In 2006 and up until today, there have been tremendous efforts in fighting for the rights and benefits of the workers. One of those efforts was the establishment of Viet Labor Movement founded on October 29, 2008, an independent organization from the Board of Labor. However, the communist government have utilized the “so called vague decrees” of 79th and 88th of the Criminal Codes to arrest and prosecute any individuals fighting on behalf of those workers. On October 2010, the trio- founders of this organization (Nguyễn Hoàng Quốc Hùng, Đỗ Thị Minh Hạnh và Đoàn Huy Chương) were arrested and sentenced with prison terms for a total of 23 years. Quốc Hùng received the most severe sentence with 9 years while the others received equal sentence for their roles in leading the strike with over 10,000 workers at the shoe factory “Mỹ Phong” demanding the employer to pay the workers the wages they owed and did not pay for several months.
After the arrest of these trios, there have been numerous movements both in Vietnam and abroad asking the International Community including the Human Rights Organization, the Government of Democratic Society, the Free Media and the Vietnamese organizations abroad, to pressure the government of Vietnam to freely release the trios without condition.
The premature release of Đỗ Thị Minh Hạnh on June 26, 2014 is a clear evidence showing that the charge was illegal. The same condition must be applied to the others such as Nguyễn Hoàng Quốc Hùng và Đoàn Huy Chương for the same charges.
Based on the real and urgent needs that the workers need protections & rights and the freedom of running a labor organization, Free Viet Labor Federation is calling for the assistance from other organization such as the Civil Society and together we are declaring that
- Continue organizing the developing the Viet Labor Movement in the efforts of fighting for the rights of all workers in Vietnam.
- Together we are fighting and asking for the assistance from the governments who are doing business with Vietnam in the efforts of demanding and pressuring the Vietnam government to unconditionally release Nguyễn Hoàng Quốc Hùng và Đoàn Huy Chương.
Written in Vietnam August 5, 2014
Lao Động Việt - Free Viet Labor Federation
Translated by
