Reduced working hours must go hand-in-hand with improved productivity
The Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), the sole representative of Vietnamese worker’s interests and unified trade union organisation in the country, has for the second time this year called on the Government to reduce the weekly working hours for the private sector workers from 48 to 44, and eventually to 40 hours per week.
Dr Nguyen Thi Lien, Head of the Department of Business Human Resource Management at the Vietnam University of Commerce in Hanoi, said the shorter working week proposal was scientifically researched, practical and in line with global norms. She said the key to the challenge of maintaining national competitiveness and investment while giving workers more time to rest, is increased labour productivity. She added that reducing working hours will inevitably happen in the future, but the timing and implementation need careful planning and execution.
