A consultation workshop was held on Friday on promoting gender equality in the revision of the Labour Code, which gathered nearly 200 officials and experts.
Vice Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Nguyen Thi Ha speaks at the workshop on October 19. Photo by the organiser
The workshop was held by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), with support from Investing in Women, an initiative of the Australian Government, and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) in Vietnam on the occasion of the Vietnamese Women's Day (20 October).
The event, the biggest consultation on the provisions to ensure and promote gender equality of the Labour Code reform, assembled some 200 women and men representatives from the drafting committee, policy makers and practitioners, including: National Assembly, Government, workers’ and employers’ representative organisations, diplomatic agencies, international organisations, and the media, etc.
In her opening speech, MOLISA Vice Minister, Nguyen Thi Ha, stressed that creating an enabling environment for women in the workplace is a priority for the Vietnamese Government.
"Based on empirical studies and experience from other countries, perhaps, it is time to consider an approach shift in developing the Labour Code’s provisions, from 'protecting women’ to ’promoting gender equality’ for both male and female employees," she said. "Separate provisions singling out female employees in the Labour Code indeed could change to be: i) provisions on measures to promote gender equality in practice (as temporary special measures); and ii) maternity and paternity protection provisions for both female and male employees.We see the Labour Code reform as an opportunity to make progress in this area.”
The Labour Code revision is in the context of Vietnam’s preparation to enter into the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) which will expand Vietnam’s access to EU and CPTPP countries markets through 99% cut in import taxes within 10 years.
The Labour Code revision is a specific work for Vietnam to implement international treaty commitments in the field of workplace gender equality, making it a likely leading nation in the region in respecting fundamental rights at work that underlie economic productivity and competitive advancement.
"Gender inequality should no longer be seen as a purely social issue, but as an economic one that presents a key challenge to attaining inclusive and sustainable growth," Australian Ambassador Craig Chittick said at the opening of the consultation.
The efforts led by MOLISA with support from the Australian Government and UN Women focus on shifting the approach and improving regulations on four areas of Vietnam’s current Labour Code including narrowing down toward eliminating the retirement age gap between male and female employees through gradual adjustments; Improving provisions on preventing and addressing sexual harassment; Ensuring, promoting equality and non-discrimination based on gender in performing reproductive and child-care functions; and Improving social responsibility mechanism between the State and employers in organising day care facilities and kindergartens and in supporting employees with sending their children to day care facilities and kindergartens.
UNFPA Representative in Vietnam, Astrid Bant said that were signs showing that the male-female gap in Vietnam was narrowing but this should be reduced more in this world integration process and the 4.0 industry.
Input from this Consultation Workshop is expected to inform MOLISA’s (revised) Labour Code Project which is scheduled to be brought before the National Assembly for comments in May 2019 and for adoption in October 2019.