Domestic Research Projects on Labor Relations

(SPT - Social partnership theory).

- Research on the nature of labor relations

Besides studying the concept of labor relations, many researchers have discussed the nature of labor relations through their research works. Some scientists continue to explain more deeply the economic nature of labor relations as the origin of class struggle movements. Typical examples include C. Marx, F. Engels and VI Lenin. These researchers lived in the capitalist regime, a typical society of labor relations between the bourgeoisie and the working class. They discovered the nature of the capitalist regime, the reality of labor and the life of workers in the capitalist regime. In many works, they have built a tight and perfect theoretical system on labor organization in capitalist society; on the one hand, to help the working class correctly perceive its historical mission in capitalist society; On the other hand, it also points out to the bourgeoisie its two-sided nature in managing and developing society: On the one hand, it rapidly increases the productive forces in society, on the other hand, it impoverishes the basic driving force of social production, which is the labor force. These theoretical systems are directly related to the labor relations between the bourgeoisie and the workers in production.

One of these theoretical systems of C. Marx, F. Engels and V. Lenin is the theoretical system on the wage-earning system of workers and the hiring of workers by capitalists. Through this theoretical system, researchers have pointed out the nature of labor relations and the emergence of strikes and strikes of workers in capitalist society.

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Marx, in the Economic Manuscripts of the years (1861-1863), argued that: The process of capital accumulation is a condition of the capitalist mode of production and he pointed out 3 main trends in the development of labor relations between capitalists and hired workers:

- One is: with the condition of "permanent" employment for the bourgeoisie, the worker is also "permanently" in the position of being an employee.

- Second: the more capital accumulation increases the wealth of the capitalist, the more difficult the situation of the workers becomes.

- Third: due to the increasingly massive form of the labor market and its increasingly becoming a social force opposed to individual workers, workers are no longer able to act independently.

We possess the same working conditions as in the previous small-scale production.

- Research on the content of labor relations

Lenin's famous classic work "On Strikes" clearly shows the labor relations in the capitalist economic period. Through strikes, he pointed out 4 basic issues related to labor relations:

- One is: the significance of strikes in the general workers' movement.

- Second: Russian laws against strikes.

- Third: the issue of strikes in Russia that have been and are being carried out, then the attitude of workers during the strikes.

The cause of discord in labor relations has been pointed out by researchers such as C. Marx and F. Engels: wages decreased while factory owners refused to increase wages; workers wanted to amend the law because the law was set by the bourgeoisie, promulgated with their consent, to protect and benefit them. That is, to protect the working class. Thus, according to Marx: one of the contents of labor relations is the issue of wages, salaries and resolving labor disputes between employers and workers.

According to the research of David Macdonald and Caroline Vardenabeele (1996), the content of labor relations in enterprises are issues related to labor contracts, wages, income, working conditions and social welfare guarantees for employees.

Since the early 1990s, some countries such as Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland (former socialist countries in Eastern Europe) have begun to transition to a market economy. At the same time, some countries such as China, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand (East Asia and Southeast Asia) are also rushing to complete market institutions; With the assistance of international organizations such as the World Bank (WB), ILO, ADB... many practical research projects on labor relations in countries with transitional economies have been conducted [144].

To date, the most comprehensive and widely accepted view of the common industrial relations used is the view of David Macdonald and Caroline Vardenabeele (1996), representing the ILO (ILO), who stated that the content of industrial relations is "individual and collective relationships between employers and employees at the workplace,

as well as the relationships between their representatives and the State. Such relationships revolve around legal, economic, social, psychological aspects and include issues such as recruitment, hiring, job placement, training, discipline, promotion, forced dismissal, termination of contracts, overtime, bonuses, profit sharing, education, health, hygiene, entertainment, accommodation, working hours, rest, leave, issues for the welfare of the unemployed, sick, injured, old and disabled”[116]. In addition to pointing out the subjects of labor relations, types of labor relations, the participation of employee representatives, employer representatives, the relationship of labor relations with other relationships in different areas of social life... experts reveal very specific contents of this relationship.

After analyzing some of the above studies, it shows that labor relations abroad have received deep attention. Labor relations play a particularly important role in the relationship between employers and employees. In addition, there is also the contribution of the Government. Good labor relations are a manifestation of the harmony of interests of the participating parties. Contributing significantly to the development of the economy, solving social problems such as: solving employment, reducing social evils, raising awareness for employers and employees....

From the above studies, it can be seen that labor relations reflect a special relationship because they have broad categories. This relationship has both social and economic nature and is governed by legal relations.

1.2. Domestic research works on labor relations

On the concepts, nature and content of labor relations

- Research on the concept of labor relations

In the production activities of enterprises, labor relations are an important content that has been studied in many countries with developed market economies; used in the development of policies and laws on labor, labor organization and management as well as solving arising problems, including resolving labor disputes and strikes. For countries with developing market economies like Vietnam, labor relations in enterprises are an important issue, gradually being improved. Research on labor relations in enterprises is a necessary and inevitable task for countries in the process of promoting industrialization and modernization like our country today.

In Vietnam, the issue of labor relations has been studied by a number of authors since its inception.

The Doi Moi policy such as: the thesis "Innovation of labor relations in the process of forming a market economy in Vietnam" by Le Van Minh (1994), the thesis "Improving labor relations in foreign-invested enterprises in Vietnam" by Nguyen Ngoc Quan (1995). However, it was not until 2002 that the issue of labor relations in a market economy really received attention from researchers and managers. That was when spontaneous strikes by workers originated from a number of industrial parks (IPs) in the South and began to spread. Research works from this period began to have a new approach to labor relations.

In 2008, Nguyen Tiep's "Labor Relations Textbook" was the first textbook compiled and taught at university level in Vietnam.

According to the 2012 Labor Code, it also mentioned that labor relations are social relations arising in the hiring, use of labor, and payment of wages between employees and employers. Labor relations are composed of many interacting entities, including: employees and employee representative organizations, employers and employer representative organizations, and state agencies.

A very notable study recently is the book "Labor Relations Report in Vietnam 2017" (Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs - MOLISA, ILO, 2018), which stated the concept: "Labor relations are the relationship between employees, labor collectives with employers and employers' representative organizations, established on the basis of labor law including labor standards, mechanisms for establishing and operating labor relations, institutions for resolving labor disputes, and the roles of parties in labor relations".

Although the approaches of scientists are not entirely the same, it can be seen that these views all indicate that there are social relations in labor relations.

After researching and consulting a number of scientists and experts such as authors David Macdonald and Caroline Vardenabeele (1996), Loic Candin and (MOLISA, ILO, 2018) presented, the researcher proposed the concept of labor relations in enterprises as follows:

Labor relations are the relationship between employees and the labor collective with employers and employers' representative organizations established during the labor process on the basis of current labor laws and through conducting agreements and negotiations according to the principles of voluntariness, equality, cooperation, and respect for each other's legitimate rights and interests to implement.

fully implement the commitments of the parties.

- Research on the nature of labor relations

Labor relations are special relationships because they have a broad connotation. Such relationships are both economic and social in nature and are governed by law. Therefore, the science of labor relations lies in the intersection of many sciences such as economics, sociology, psychology, law and politics.

In a business, labor relations are the sum of the relationships between employees and employers. This relationship often revolves around labor-related conditions such as: salary, wages, bonuses, working hours, rest time, overtime, and occupational safety and hygiene conditions at the workplace...

Labor relations represent the interaction between the parties involved in the labor process such as: Employees (or employee representatives) and employers (or employer representatives) on labor relations at the enterprise or industry level; with the aim of ensuring the harmony of interests of the parties, also known as bilateral relations. To operate bilateral relations at the enterprise or industry level, a bilateral mechanism is adopted.

The subjects of labor relations interact through consultation, dialogue and negotiation mechanisms to form the operating mechanism of labor relations. These include a two-party mechanism (employees, employee representatives and employers; employee representatives and employers' representatives) and a three-party mechanism (the State - employers' representatives - employees' representatives).

The tripartite mechanism is formed on the basis of interaction between the Government and the organizations representing employees and the organizations representing employers, in which the Government plays a key role in consulting the parties on issues related to the development and promulgation of policies and laws on labor relations; dialogue to resolve difficulties as well as support the parties in implementing the provisions of labor laws, building harmonious labor relations. The tripartite mechanism is formed at the national level and at the provincial and municipal levels.

The two-party mechanism is formed on the basis of interaction between employees, employee representative organizations and employers within the enterprise or between employee representative organizations and employer representative organizations within the industry through dialogue, negotiation and agreement mechanisms to resolve issues related to the rights and interests of both parties, building harmonious, stable and progressive labor relations.

Among the studies on labor relations, there is also the textbook "Building harmonious, stable and progressive labor relations in enterprises in Vietnam" by the Trade Union University (2011). Building harmonious, stable and progressive labor relations in enterprises is the fundamental point to ensure the legitimate interests of the subjects participating in the labor, production and business process. This is an extremely large and heavy task, requiring concentrated and synchronous direction in perfecting the legal system, perfecting and promoting the support of institutions and enhancing the roles and responsibilities of the parties.

Research on specific contents of labor relations

The mutual relationships between the parties participating in labor relations are clearly expressed through the content of labor relations. Within the scope of the thesis, labor relations are studied through the conclusion and implementation of labor contracts; negotiation, signing and registration of collective labor agreements (CLAs); Typical are the thesis "Some issues on labor relations in non-state enterprises and enterprises with foreign investment capital" by Vu Viet Hang (2004), "Strikes and labor relations in Vietnam" by Chang - Hee - Lee and Simon Clarke; Le Manh Ha (2008) with the article "Strikes and labor relations in Vietnam - Current situation and solutions"; Nguyen An Ninh (2008) with the work "The trend of industrialization in our country today"; Dang Quang Dinh (2010) researched the economic interests between workers and farmers and intellectuals in Vietnam today; Author Le Thanh Ha (2012) studied "Labor relations in foreign-invested enterprises in Vietnam and the role of trade unions"; Le Thi Mai (2017) also studied "Conflicts and solutions to reduce conflicts in labor relations in enterprises in Vietnam" - the author believes that one of the factors determining the success of an enterprise is to resolve labor relations well....

According to Nguyen Tiep, University of Labor and Social Affairs, “Labor relations are a system of relationships between individuals or organizations representing employees and individuals or organizations representing employers or between their representative organizations and the State and other entities. These relationships take place around the labor hiring process to ensure harmony and stability in the interests of the parties involved” [85].

According to MOLISA-ILO research (2018), the content of labor relations includes employment relations, wages, labor conditions, working hours, rest hours, social insurance (SI), labor discipline, rights and obligations of the parties, and dispute resolution.

labor (GQTCLĐ)...

During this period, many state-level topics, ministerial-level topics, projects related to labor relations and social dialogue (SDR) were implemented and gradually changed the perception of the parties about labor relations in the market economy. However, these works focused too much on specific labor standards, did not study in depth the capacity and attitudes between the subjects and did not analyze the interaction mechanism between the parties in labor relations in enterprises, especially for enterprises with foreign investment capital. Therefore, there are many research directions revolving around labor relations mentioned.

- Research on factors affecting labor relations

Besides studying the issues of concept, nature and content of labor relations, some researchers also study in depth the factors affecting labor relations.

Currently, studies on this issue are scattered, but some studies by Tran Van Hoan and Nguyen Ba Ngoc have analyzed the factors affecting labor relations. However, these factors are more generalized in the report of MOLISA-ILO (2018), including factors on economic development (market economy, foreign investment, labor market development...); urbanization and industrialization in Vietnam, quality of human resources; competitiveness of enterprises...

Another study on Labor Relations in the context of Integration by Dang Thi Hai Ha (2019) "Economic issues rather than social issues" pointed out that Vietnam's participation in FTAs, especially new generation agreements such as CPTPP, EVFTA... has a significant impact on labor relations in Vietnam but has not been thoroughly studied such as the issue of employee representation at the grassroots level, collective labor agreements, dialogue... The author pointed out that when signing FTAs, it will have a great impact on core issues in labor relations such as collective bargaining; the issue of resolving labor disputes, the issue of labor inspection, the issue of employee representative organizations...

1.3. Gaps in research and research directions of the thesis

1.3.1. Gaps in research

Overviewing research works of a number of domestic and foreign authors, the author found that:

- Firstly : There are many approaches to research on labor relations, with different broad and narrow scopes. However, most studies believe that labor relations are the relationship between two subjects: employees and employers within the enterprise and are only related to labor issues.

- Second: Previous works focused on the theory of labor unrest and strikes but did not deeply analyze the quality of human resources working in FDI enterprises in general and Japanese-invested automobile manufacturing enterprises in particular. Moreover, the works did not deeply analyze the underlying causes leading to labor unrest and strikes.

- Third : Research on labor relations often stands on the perspective of employees and pays little attention to the perspective of employers in order to propose solutions to improve labor relations. Specifically, research on the balance of needs of stakeholders.

- Fourthly : According to the author, some solutions to build labor relations not only aim to meet the requirements and demands of current labor relations, but more importantly, it is necessary to study the hypotheses about labor relations that are not as they are now (which can be more positive or negative), then the flexible application of different methods helps labor relations to always be stable and develop. However, previous research works rarely mention this. In particular, there have been no thorough studies of factors affecting/affecting labor relations in the context of integration.

- Fifth : There is currently no systematic and comprehensive research on labor relations in Japanese-invested automobile manufacturing enterprises in Vietnam.

Above are the issues that the thesis will focus on clarifying.

1.3.2. Research direction of the thesis

The author will focus on in-depth research:

- Systematize basic theoretical issues on labor relations in the context of international economic integration, especially the contents and factors affecting labor relations. The thesis will approach labor relations within the scope of enterprises and not only focus on two subjects, employees and employers, but also other related subjects, such as trade unions and state management agencies.

- Research on experiences in maintaining and developing labor relations through collective labor agreements and strike control in some locations (domestic,

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