Social protection

Trade union officers receive training in social health protection and other health-related social security benefits

Actions are taken to tackle access barriers to healthcare and strengthen workers’ awareness on health-related social security benefits, with assistance from the ILO’s Luxembourg-funded project, Support to the Extension of Social Health Protection in South East Asia.

News | 05 June 2020
HANOI (ILO News) – A three-day training has helped to improve the knowledge of trade union officers on social health protection and other health-related social security benefits, so they can do a better job as workers’ representatives.

The course, organized during 2-4 June in Ha Noi by the Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), also aimed to enhance communication skills on this topic for 40 participants from 16 provincial and eight sectoral trade union organizations.

Findings from a rapid assessment conducted by the ILO-Lux project and VGCL in November 2019 show that knowledge gaps persist amongst female factory workers in industrial zones, on entitlements and procedures related to health, maternity and sickness benefits.

This first-ever training on social security and social health protection the Women Affairs Department of VGCL has organized for their local officers is expected to help to address those gaps. The participants are expected to transfer the knowledge and skills gained from this training to female factory workers.

“It is crucial that female workers in Viet Nam are fully aware of their rights to social health protection, and that their entitlements are upheld and fully utilized,” ILO Viet Nam Country Director, Chang-Hee Lee, said.

As a next step, ILO-Lux project will support VGCL to organize three communication forums targeting female factory workers in Bac Ninh and Binh Duong provinces. The lessons learnt from these pilot events will be documented by VGCL to replicate in other provinces.