The 3-year implementation of the 2012 Labour Code was the main theme of a seminar held in Da Nang from 30-31 August by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) in conjunction with the USAID’s Governance for Inclusive Growth Programme.

Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

The seminar brought together representatives from ministries, agencies, localities, businesses and labourers in the southern region, whose opinions will be reflected in the ministry’s report on the code’s enforcement.

The report is one of the documents serving the draft law on amendments and supplements of several articles of the 2012 Labour Code, which will be submitted to the 3^rd session of the 14^th National Assembly and expected to be approved at the 4^th session.

From January 2013 to June 2016, the MoLISA’s Legal Department issued 66 documents providing detailed interpretation of the Labour Code and guidance for the code’s implementation.

However, several stipulations in the code remain ambiguous, while many guidance documents are overlapping or contradictory, causing difficulties to enforcement.

Some new laws promulgated recently also affect the code’s structure and contents.

Therefore, the 14^th NA issued Resolution No. 22/2016/QH14 on the compilation of a draft law amending and supplementing several articles of the code, focusing on such issues as labour contracts, salary, working regulations, the observance of international standards, human resource quality and business competitiveness, among others.

The amendment and supplementation is also prompted by the fact that as a member of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and a signatory to regional and global free trade agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement and the Viet Nam-EU Free Trade Agreement, Viet Nam has committed to adopting and maintaining labour-related international standards in both its legal system and reality.

The Vietnamese and US Governments signed a bilateral agreement on enhancing trade and labour relations to facilitate the fulfillment of the commitments stated in Chapter 19 of the TPP pact.

(Source: VNA)