The season of connecting hands

Union bus trip organized for workers to return home to celebrate Tet with their families

Not as bustling with flags and flowers as the big festivals, not as jubilant with music and drums as other bustling celebrations, but in the hearts of workers, this day is like a quiet but lasting milestone, reminding us of the bond that binds people to people, workers to workers, workers to the collective home called the Union.

I still remember very clearly the image of my father in the past - a mechanical worker in a small factory on the outskirts of the city. Every morning, he carried on his shoulder a faded canvas bag, in which, besides a simple lunch, there was also a Union book covered with a worn-out plastic cover. It was not only a book to track union dues, but also a card guaranteeing peace of mind and trust in the collective's care.

I still remember the rainy evenings when my father came home from the Union meeting, soaked, his hands covered in grease. But his eyes were bright. He talked about the new workers' quarters that were about to be built, about the fund to support colleagues in trouble, about the Tet gifts for workers' families in difficult circumstances. I was young and did not understand how important these things were. I only knew that, in my father's story, the Union was the place where hands were joined.

Then, when I grew up, I left my hometown, carrying with me the images of those simple yet warm meetings. I set foot in the city, working in an office, in a cold glass and steel building. There, I met the Union again, but in a different form. It was no longer the old hall with the dim yellow light bulbs, but an air-conditioned meeting room with long tables and leather chairs. But the spirit was no different from the old days my father told me about: a place where people sat together, talked to each other about salaries, lunch, insurance, benefits. And more importantly, talked to each other about how to maintain a fair, civilized and sharing working environment.

I still remember the first Tet holidays away from home. In the cramped dormitory, everyone was looking forward to the bus tickets to go home, afraid of running out of seats and high prices. Yet every year the company's Union registered for group bus tickets and provided additional gifts. The gifts were not large, but everyone took them home and felt warm. In the hustle and bustle of life, people sometimes forget to ask about each other, but the Union quietly played the role of door knocker, giving a little warmth of human affection.

Perhaps, many young people today, when hearing the word Trade Union, will only think of it as an “administrative” department, where they collect fees and organize tours and give Tet gifts. But few people understand that behind those gifts is a network connecting millions of workers, so that each person does not feel alone in difficult days. When a worker has an accident at work, loses his job, when a family is in trouble because of an incident - it is the Trade Union that stands up to call, share, and collect every penny.

I have a friend who works as a worker in an export processing zone. He said that he worked overtime until almost dawn, exhausted, and just wanted to go back to his rented room to lie down. However, when he heard that his fellow worker in the same boarding house was seriously ill, the union members knocked on every door, asking for donations. “They are not rich, but everyone is willing to open their wallets. Because everyone understands, today it is them, tomorrow it might be us.” My friend said that. It was heartbreaking to hear.

July 28 is therefore not only a historical milestone marking the birth of the Vietnam Trade Union 95 years ago (1929 - 2024), but also a day for workers to reflect on themselves - who are they being protected by, and are they ready to extend their arms to protect someone? More complete collective meals, less crowded buses for workers to return home for Tet, workers' children being able to go to school at the right age, receiving scholarships - all, no matter how small, are seeds that sprout from that spirit of solidarity.

Someone asked, in the age of technology, machines replace humans, then what will the Union be like in the future? I think, machines can do the work for humans, but they cannot replace warm hands, touching hearts. As long as there are workers, sweat falling on the factory floor, tears rolling down the cheeks of mothers waiting for their children on rainy nights, the Union still has a reason to exist. The form of organization may be different, the way of operation may be more modern, more flexible. But the core meaning - the spirit of solidarity, protecting rights, sharing love - will not fade.

I have seen the joy shining on the sunburned faces of construction workers who shared free meals. I have seen the grateful eyes of a worker's wife when her husband had an accident and the Union promptly supported him with hospital fees. I have also seen, on stormy nights, union members wearing raincoats and flashlights, wading through water to deliver relief gifts to workers in flooded areas. There, the Union is no stranger. The Union is us - people who know how to hold hands.

Every year, as July 28th approaches, I flip through old photos of my father. The photo of him holding a Union certificate of merit, standing among his green-haired colleagues. Now his hair has turned gray, his friends have scattered, but the Union book from that year is still carefully kept by my mother in an old wooden box. It is like a souvenir, not only telling the story of a worker, but also of a generation that lived and believed in the power of the collective.

In today’s fast-paced life, where people easily pass each other by with indifferent text messages, I still hope that days like July 28 will still be remembered. So that each of us can understand that behind a company, a factory, a workshop… are countless fates, countless small dreams quietly gathering into great things. And if someone asks: What does the Union have? Please smile: The Union has extended hands, warming and protecting.

July 28 - the day of connecting hands. The day for us to believe in a simple thing: when there is humanity and solidarity, no one will be left behind./.

Duc Anh

Source: https://baolongan.vn/mua-noi-nhung-ban-tay-a199529.html