'Union Meal' spreads the spirit of sharing and uniting workers

After more than 2 months of implementation, the 2025 “Union Meal” Program has been organized at more than 5,100 grassroots unions nationwide, bringing joy and solidarity to more than 2.1 million union members and workers. This is a clear demonstration of the caring and companionship role of trade unions in the lives of workers.

The mark of practical concern

The "Union Meal" program is an activity organized by trade unions at all levels in coordination with employers on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19), National Day (September 2) and the 96th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam Trade Union (July 28, 1929 - July 28, 2025). Not just a simple shift meal, "Union Meal" also has a profound spiritual meaning - where workers and laborers can share and listen, thereby strengthening trust and cohesion in each collective.

According to the report of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (VGCL), the 2025 program was implemented at 5,132 grassroots unions, with 2,171,450 workers participating. The total budget for this activity reached more than 148.7 billion VND, of which the source from grassroots unions accounted for over 70 billion VND, the support source from enterprises and socialization was nearly 61 billion VND, the rest was the budget support from the VGCL and local Labor Federations.

A union meal. Photo: VNA

Although the number of grassroots unions organized decreased compared to 2024, the average value of each meal reached 68,500 VND, significantly higher than the 50,300 VND of the previous year. This shows that the quality of meals and the concern of businesses and unions for workers are increasingly improved.

This year’s “Union Meal” focuses on workers directly involved in production in industrial parks, factories, and enterprises with large numbers of workers and collective kitchens. Many grassroots unions have proactively negotiated and dialogued with employers to mobilize more resources, clearly demonstrating their representative role and taking real care of union members.

In many enterprises, "Union Meals" have become an opportunity for employees and management to share their thoughts and propose solutions to improve working conditions, thereby contributing to strengthening harmonious, stable and progressive labor relations.

In 2025, in the spirit of celebrating the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution, National Day September 2 and the 50th anniversary of national reunification April 30, the communication activities of the trade union organization will be promoted, enriched and more creative. In particular, "Trade Union Meal" emerged as a bright spot in communication, demonstrating the image of a close and humane trade union organization.

Thousands of banners, billboards, and posters were hung in industrial parks and export processing zones with meaningful slogans: "Union Meal - Thank you to workers", "Where there is a Union, there is love and sharing", "Union Meal - Building a positive and humane corporate culture".

The media and trade union social networks simultaneously spread images of warm meals and happy smiles of workers after work, contributing to arousing the spirit of solidarity and cohesion in the working environment.

Some localities and sectors have large-scale organizations such as Bac Ninh Labor Federation (508 grassroots unions, 253,383 beneficiaries), Ho Chi Minh City (416 grassroots unions, 223,829 people), Hai Phong (295 grassroots unions, 172,905 people), Dong Nai (126 grassroots unions, 143,664 people).
Many typical units in mobilizing socialized resources such as Vietnam Bank Trade Union received support of more than 8.4 billion VND, Bac Ninh Labor Federation nearly 6.7 billion VND, Coal - Mineral Trade Union more than 5 billion VND.

In addition to the main activity of organizing meals, many grassroots unions also incorporate cultural and spiritual activities such as giving gifts to union members in difficulty, giving moon cakes, celebrating birthdays, giving "Union shelters", organizing arts, sports , folk games, etc. to create a joyful and united atmosphere. Some units are creative in organizing meals right on the construction site, camp or combining with a resort in a tourist area, so that workers can relax after stressful working hours.

Still need to change the batch

The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor assessed that in 2025, the "Union Meal" program will go into depth, aiming at real values, contributing to enhancing the position of the union organization in the enterprise. Many workers expressed their emotions when being cared for and listened to, thereby voluntarily joining the union, strengthening their trust in their representative organization.

However, the report also pointed out some limitations: the number of programs has decreased sharply compared to 2024 (only 5,132 compared to 15,592 grassroots unions); the quality of meals in some places is still limited, communication work at the grassroots level has not been focused on and some unions have not been able to negotiate with employers.

The reason was determined to be the restructuring and streamlining of the district-level trade union apparatus, civil servant and public employee sectors, which reduced the number of units; along with that, many businesses focused heavily on production, and the education sector coincided with the summer vacation, so the organization was limited. In addition, a number of trade union officials were not closely involved and lacked flexible solutions in implementation, causing the program to not be equally effective among localities.

Looking forward to 2026 - the year of the 14th National Party Congress, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Congress and the 14th Vietnam Trade Union Congress, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor determined to continue maintaining the "Trade Union Meal" as a long-term, periodic welfare program, organized on key occasions such as Workers' Month (May), Vietnam Trade Union Foundation Day (July 28) and Lunar New Year.

Along with that, the General Confederation will commend and reward exemplary grassroots unions and enterprises, replicate good and creative models; at the same time, promote communication and mobilize partners in the Union Welfare Program to participate in supporting, reducing prices and sponsoring this activity.

One of the key objectives is to mobilize resources from employers, turning "Union Meals" into a concrete expression of social dialogue and effective collective bargaining, thereby bringing practical benefits, improving the quality of shift meals, ensuring health, and regenerating labor for workers.

From a regular activity to care for people's lives, "Union Meals" are gradually becoming a symbol of the spirit of sharing and humanity in modern labor relations, demonstrating the mission of the union organization to accompany workers. Those simple but meaningful meals are contributing to nurturing trust, arousing the spirit of solidarity, competition in labor and production, for the sustainable development of businesses and the country.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/xa-hoi/bua-com-cong-doan-lan-toa-tinh-than-se-chia-gan-ket-nguoi-lao-dong-20251113085553521.htm