Economic liberalization and industrialization have brought rapid changes to Vietnam's labour scene in recent years. Cheap and disciplined labour attracts foreign investors and the party-state has been anxious to maintain control over labour by restricting autonomous workers’ organizations. Simultaneously, the industrial labour force in this predominantly agricultural country is growing and the number of conflicts in the labour market has remained at a high level all through the 1990s. This article looks at the impact of economic liberalization on the regulation and organization of labour and discusses what possible political consequences these developments may have on the wider political structures.

My point of entry into the issue of trade unionism is the rising number of labour conflicts, which leads to questions concerning the role of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL or Tong Lien Doan Lao Dong Viet Nam) and its relations with the party-state and how these relations have changed. In Vietnam's authoritarian political structure, the VGCL, the only officially recognized trade union organization, is part of the one-party system. Its organizational size in combination with its potential role in accommodating labour–capital conflicts in a market economy makes the VGCL important for political stability. I will argue that the VGCL has failed to carry out the reforms needed to respond to the concerns of workers in the emerging market economy. This has led to a situation where workers are left with no or very limited protection. In order to defend themselves, they organize outside the formal party-state structures, primarily, through illegal strikes (but also through “study groups”, “labour councils”, etc.). I argue that this development challenges the role, legitimacy and organizational monopoly of the VGCL and has also put pressure on the relations between the party-state and the VGCL. Consequently a process of de-authoritarianization of power relations from below is taking place.

Challenges to Authoritarianism

Understanding Vietnamese trade unions requires taking note of the restrictive environment in which they operate.