USAID Vietnam IRPP Monthly Report January 2012

The activities centered on technical assistance from two international consultants, Prof. Richard Fincher and Ms. Nancy Mills. Prof. Fincher, a US Senior Dispute Resolution Specialist, provided training on developing bi-partite workplace communications and negotiations to promote dispute management procedures. He worked with the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the Labor Inspectorate, among others. Ms. Mills, a former US Senior Collective Bargaining Agreement Specialist, promoted best practices in collective bargaining and gave presentations on the process of developing collective bargaining agreements to faculty and students of three partner universities. In addition to the training activities, the project office contacted the US-based STTA to work with Prof. Mark Anner of Penn State University. Prof. Anner refined his analysis of the industrial relations data from VNCI's FDI survey and submitted his second draft report to the project office. The project office also finished translating four of five chapters of the draft IR textbook developed by the three partner universities. Prof. Anner reviewed these chapters and developed supplemental materials. The project office supported various partner activities, including the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Labor Inspectorate, the Labor and Wage Department, the Center of Industrial Relations Development, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the three partner universities. These activities included developing labor inspection manuals, reviewing self-assessment surveys on labor law compliance, and refining draft findings on IR issues in targeted industrial areas. The project office also prepared for upcoming US specialists to work with Vietnamese counterparts, including Mr. Tac Tacelosky, a US IT Specialist, and Ms. Van Nguyen, a US IR Education Partnership Development Specialist. The project office arranged a visit and working agenda for Mr. Tacelosky with the Labor Inspectorate and the Ministry of Information and Statistics members on online self-assessment software. Additionally, the project office planned several follow-up activities in February 2012, including national review workshops on labor inspection self-assessment schemes, enhancing capacity on international commitments on labor inspection, and finalizing the IR textbook and supplemental materials for three universities. The project office also facilitated the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry/Cornell dialogue on the development of a labor dispute resolution education partnership program. The project office identified an US IR Education Partnership Development Specialist to assess the IR education needs of the universities and work to develop a long-term IR faculty exchange program. The project office prepared for the visit of Mr. Tacelosky, a US IT Specialist, and Ms. Van Nguyen, a US IR Education Partnership Development Specialist, to work with Vietnamese counterparts in February 2012.