The Swedish Embassy in Hanoi co-hosted on May 16, 2007 a “Workshop on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the importance of trade unions” with Vietnam’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) which was attended by Ambassador Elisabeth Dahlin from the Department of International Trade at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mrs. Susanne Lindberg-Elmgren from the Swedish Confederation of Trade Unions. Trade Union representatives invited by Vietnam General Confederation of Labor (VGCL) and Companies invited by the VCCI attended the workshop together with representatives from The Swedish Embassy and Ericsson Vietnam.
The purpose of this workshop was to share experiences from Swedish stakeholders and develop direct discussions between company management and trade unions in Vietnam.
The workshop showed presentations on the growing importance for Vietnamese companies to incorporate CSR in their business strategies, and both Swedish and Vietnamese Trade Union perspectives on industrial relations and CSR. During his presentation, Mr. Mai Duc Chinh, Director of Social Economic Policy Department at VGCL, pointed out several success stories where Vietnamese companies have included CSR guidelines in their business strategies but also mentioned difficulties and obstacles in Vietnamese companies in terms of a lack of incentives and awareness.
It was agreed that an increased inclusion of CSR into private businesses’ strategies in Vietnam would strengthen the competitiveness of Vietnamese products on the world market. Furthermore, trade unions can play an important role as a dialogue partner and be a tool for companies to develop their business.
