Industrial Relations Promotion Project Quarterly Report: Q1, Year I

The project began in mid-October 2009 with the arrival of the start-up Administrator and the SIIR Chief of Party. The project staff, including the Deputy Chief of Party and Program Specialist, were identified and their employment arrangements finalized. The SIIR team conducted meetings with the main stakeholders, including designated sections of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MOLISA), the Vietnamese General Confederation of Labor (VGCL), and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). The team also held introductory meetings with other international organizations conducting labor-related activities. The first component of the SIIR project is a needs assessment and project design process. A consultant from the US Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service facilitated this process, providing advice and guidance in drafting the project document and setting up meetings with key tripartite stakeholders. By the end of the quarter, the SIIR office was firmly established, and considerable progress had been made in completing the project design document required for approval from the Vietnam government. The SIIR project has been actively engaged in labor law reform, observing the process and reviewing drafts of the Labor and Trade Union laws. The project staff has also attended workshops on labor law development hosted by the STAR and ILO programs. Additionally, the SIIR team has worked with the STAR program to provide advice and inputs into the Vietnamese labor delegation program to the US and a potential training program for targeted MOLISA and VGCL counterparts. The SIIR project has also cooperated with the VNCI program, providing technical assistance with their Regulatory Impact Assessment program and the inclusion of labor-related issues into the Provincial Competitiveness Index and Project 30. The project staff has participated in the collection of labor data in a selected province, which may be one of the target areas of the SIIR project activities. The SIIR project team has maintained a constant dialogue with the ICD of MOLISA, discussing all aspects of the program, from project design to USAID and DAI guidelines to project activity sites to clarification on project document submission formats. The team has also held meetings with the designated departments of MOLISA, including the Legal, Labor Inspectorate, and Labor and Wages departments, as well as the Center for Industrial Relations. The SIIR project has engaged with tripartite stakeholders, including the VCCI and VGCL in Hanoi and HCMC, to learn about their priorities and expectations. The project has also identified the Project Preparation Unit (PPU), which will be the official body the SIIR works with on project design. By the end of the quarter, the PPU for SIIR was officially formed, and project design-related work had already begun. The SIIR project has made significant progress in establishing its office and completing the project design document required for approval from the Vietnam government. The project has also established relationships with key stakeholders, including MOLISA, VGCL, and VCCI, and has begun to engage in labor law reform and other activities aimed at promoting industrial relations in Vietnam.