The regulation consists of three chapters and 15 articles, developed from the coordination regulation for 2015-20 between the two sides.

Viet Nam Social Security’s General Director Nguyen The Manh and Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour’s Chairman Nguyen Dinh Khang sign the regulation on working cooperation for 2023-28 on the afternoon of July 31

The new regulation is believed to fix shortcomings in the implementation of the old regulation and solve arising problems.

The new regulation is designed to concretise the views of Resolution No 28-NQ/TW on reforming social insurance policies; Resolution No 20-NQ/TW on strengthening the protection, care and improvement of people's health in the new situation.

Under the new regulation, the two sides will focus on implementing 11 tasks, including researching and proposing amendments to policies and laws on social, health and unemployment insurance; disseminating the policies and laws to people, protecting the rights and interests of employees; handling complaints and denunciations relating to social, health and unemployment insurance; giving professional training on social, unemployment and health insurance; conducting international cooperation in the fields of social, unemployment and health insurance; and exchange information among units participating in social insurance and newly established trade unions.

 Viet Nam Social Security’s General Director Nguyen The Manh delivers a speech at the ceremony

Speaking at the ceremony, Manh shared about the pivotal role of social and health insurance policies in the country’s social security system; and impressive results in the implementation of the policies with the increasing coverage of social and health insurance.

Manh said that last year, the number of people participating in health insurance was nearly 91.1 million, reaching a coverage rate of 92.04 per cent of the total population.

It was one of the seven socio-economic indicators exceeding the 2022 plan set by the National Assembly and Government, he said.

The social insurance agency paid social insurance benefits to about 10 million employees and medical expenses for over 170 million health-insurance participants each year, he said.

The workload of the agency had been increasing and the quality of social and health insurance services had been continuously improved in the direction of modernity, professionalism and user-friendliness, with the motto of "taking people and businesses as the centre to serve”, he said.

Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour’s Chairman Nguyen Dinh Khang delivers a speech at the event

The agency identified the coordination and implementation of social, health and unemployment insurance policies among relevant ministries, including the Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour, as one of the key tasks of the agency in order to achieve the above results, he said.

He assessed that the close coordination of the two sides had promoted the synergy of the whole system, actively contributing to raising awareness and helping people in general, and trade union members in particular, to perform their obligations and guarantee their legitimate interests relating to social and health insurance.

Therefore, the two sides signed the regulation on working cooperation for 2023-28 to promote the achievements, he said.

Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour’s Chairman Nguyen Dinh Khang awards the medal "For the cause of building trade unions" to five leaders of Viet Nam Social Security

He said he believed that the two sides would continue to promote and successfully implement the new regulation, bringing higher efficiency, and contributing to bringing more and more people to participate in the social security system in the future.

Also at the meeting, member of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour Nguyen Dinh Khang said requirements of formulating and perfecting strategies and policies on social security were very necessary in the new situation.

Khang also said that violations of the law on social, health and unemployment insurance, especially the act of evading payment and late payment of social insurance, had not decreased, leading to many serious consequences affecting the interests of employees, such as labourers not receiving unemployment benefits; not entitled to sickness, maternity, retirement and survivorship policies; and unable to close the social insurance book even after they moved to work elsewhere.

Viet Nam Social Security’s General Director Nguyen The Manh awards the medal "For the cause of Viet Nam Social Security" to eight leaders of the Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour

Khang emphasised that in the 2023-28 period, the two agencies would coordinate, especially to research and propose fundamental solutions to overcome the shortcomings and inadequacies; protect the legitimate rights and interests of the parties participating in social and health insurance; create favourable conditions for all employees to participate and enjoy the social and health insurance policies as prescribed.

On behalf of the Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour, Khang awarded the medal "For the cause of building trade unions" to five leaders of Viet Nam Social Security consisting of General Director Nguyen The Manh and four Deputy General Directors Dao Viet Anh, Le Hung Son, Nguyen Duc Hoa, and Chu Manh Sinh.

On behalf of Viet Nam Social Security, Manh awarded the medal "For the cause of Viet Nam Social Security" to eight leaders of the Viet Nam General Confederation of Labour consisting of Chairman Nguyen Dinh Khang; three deputy chairmen Tran Thanh Hai, Ngo Duy Hieu, Phan Van Anh; Head of the Inspection Committee Ta Van Dong; Deputy Head of Disseminating Department Vu Manh Tiem; Deputy Head of Policy and Law Department Le Dinh Quang; and Deputy Head of Labour Relations Department Ho Thi Kim Ngan./.