The VGCL's Presidium made the proposal at a working session with a visiting delegation of the Swedish Trade Union Confederation (STUC), led by its Vice President, Leif Hakansson, in Hanoi on January 15.

The VGCL also asked its counterpart to help organise seminars on disseminating information on Vietnam's labour commitments to the World Trade Organisation.

Leif Hakansson, who is also President of the Secretariat of the Swedish Trade Union Development Cooperation Programme, and his entourage are on an 11-day working visit to Vietnam starting on January 9. The guests discussed VGCL's activities as well as difficulties and challenges after Vietnam became an official member of the WTO.

The Swedish delegates also wanted to learn more from VGCL mechanisms for settling labour disputes and strikes, said Leif Hakansson.