8-3-2024 (HANOI) Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party has issued directives to its officials to tighten control over trade unions as the country prepares to expand workers’ rights, while also closely monitoring foreign organizations and citizens traveling abroad. These orders were revealed in a report published on Friday by Bangkok-based human rights advocacy group Project88, which claimed to have obtained an internal directive from the party’s Politburo issued in July.
While the authenticity of the document could not be independently verified by Project88, the group noted that certain parts of it had been reported in state media. According to Project88’s translation of excerpts from the internal document, the party’s measures seem to contradict its commitments under international trade agreements aimed at enhancing worker protection.
When questioned by Reuters, Vietnam’s foreign ministry responded by stating that the country remains committed to fulfilling its international obligations, including in the areas of trade and human rights. The ministry emphasized that Vietnam has issued various documents and implemented measures to strengthen national security in light of the complex global and regional developments.
The directive mandates that officials ensure continued control of party cells and government management at all levels during the application of a United Nations convention on workers’ rights, which Vietnam plans to ratify this year after a decade of negotiations with international partners. However, the internal document requires officials to prevent the establishment of labor organizations based on ethnicity or religion, despite the convention aiming to guarantee the free formation of trade unions.
Requests for comments from the Vietnamese office of the International Labour Organization (ILO) went unanswered. Meanwhile, the directive also appears to crack down on foreign aid, urging officials to closely manage international cooperation activities and reject funds for sensitive projects, as per Project88’s translation.
Furthermore, officials are instructed to prevent national security threats arising from reforms that could potentially allow foreign investors to acquire controlling stakes in vital economic sectors. The directive also emphasizes that independent political organizations are not to be permitted in the country.
The internal document highlights the need to enhance “security conditions” in industrial parks, residential areas, economic zones, and locations with a high concentration of workers. Vietnamese citizens traveling abroad for business or leisure are to be closely monitored, according to Project88’s analysis.
The media is encouraged to play an increasing role in combating civil disobedience, countering “sabotage by hostile forces,” and addressing the promotion of foreign cultures that do not align with national customs and traditions, as stated in the group’s translation of the directive.
