Social Science and Human Research Bulletin

This study analyzes the legal framework and the practical implementation of the role of Vietnamese trade unions in protecting workers in the context of labour-relations reform and increasing requirements for compliance with labour standards during integration. The research method combines legal analysis of the 2019 Labour Code, the 2024 Trade Union Law, and related subordinate regulations on guidance and sanctioning of violations in the labour sector, with descriptive quantitative analysis based on indicators of workplace dialogue, collective bargaining, legal aid, and participation in dispute resolution, supplemented by qualitative analysis from semi-structured interviews and enterprise case studies. The findings show that the legal system has established relatively comprehensive mechanisms for trade unions to perform their representative, protective, and supervisory functions, particularly through dialogue, collective labour agreements, and legal aid channels; however, implementation effectiveness remains uneven across enterprise size, sectors, and positions in supply chains. Key determinants include the capacity of grassroots union officials, the quality of dialogue mechanisms, the level of coordination with state management agencies, and financial resource conditions. The discussion highlights exceptional cases such as small enterprises, the informal sector, and disputes associated with restructuring, where trade unions face difficulties intervening early or lack soft enforcement tools. The study concludes that priority should be given to enhancing professionalism in bargaining, standardizing legal aid procedures, improving transparency and efficiency in resource allocation, and further refining enforcement assurance mechanisms to strengthen the role of trade unions in protecting workers.

trade union; worker protection; labour law; labour disputes; law enforcement.

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