At the 13th Congress of the Vietnam Trade Union, the Executive Committee of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor compiled and selected 8 major issues to report to the Party and State leaders and delegates. In particular, union members proposed to study increasing annual holidays and Tet holidays at an appropriate time.

Specifically, the Union proposed adding two more days off for National Day to extend the holiday from September 2 to September 5, creating an opportunity for workers and laborers to take their children to school on the opening day.

Speaking to the press on the sidelines of the Congress on December 3, Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor Ngo Duy Hieu said that currently, most Southeast Asian countries have 15-16 days off for holidays and Tet in a year, but our country only has 11 days.

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Most workers, especially female workers, want to have two more days off on National Day so they can take their children to the new school year. (Illustration: Hoang Ha)

Mr. Hieu shared that during his field trips to collect opinions for the draft Labor Code (amended and supplemented), there were simple but very touching opinions from workers and laborers. Many female workers shed tears and said that their wish was to take their children to school on the first day of school.

“Female workers are very tired after work and have little time to spend with their children, so they have not been able to take their children to the new school year opening ceremony. For shift workers and assembly line workers, if the opening ceremony is not on a Saturday, Sunday or a day off, they do not have the opportunity to take their children to school that day.

Therefore, we need to soon increase the number of days off for workers, when the total number of days off is lower than in the region and Vietnam's economy is growing," said Mr. Hieu.

The Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor said that the addition of days off should be considered, because at present, the total number of days off in our country is lower than in the region. At the same time, this is also the earnest wish of the majority of workers with school-age children.

Mr. Hieu emphasized that the Trade Union will persistently propose this wish until the next revision of the Labor Code, even during the revisions and additions to regulations on other regimes. This is an action that demonstrates the humanity of the Trade Union, understanding the thoughts and wishes of workers.

Mr. Hieu cited the reality in China, they have a whole week off for National Day, which is also a valuable reference for our country when choosing a day off. As the life of workers gets better every day, income gets higher and higher, raising the issue of adding more days off is necessary.

According to Mr. Hieu, in reality, working hard does not always improve income. In the current context, it is necessary to improve workers' skills, apply information technology, better business management... and not transfer all productivity and labor results to the workers.

Trade Union proposes adding 2 more days to National Day holiday Vietnam Trade Union proposes that competent authorities consider adding 2 more days to National Day holiday (from September 2-5) so that workers have the opportunity to take their children to school.