Resolution Joint No. 9/NQ-LT On cultural and artistic work among workers

RESOLUTION

OF THE JOINT MINISTRY OF THE GENERAL UNION OF VIETNAMESE WORKERS AND THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE DECREE NO. 9/NQ-LT DATED JULY 6, 1982 ON CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC ACTIVITIES AMONG WORKERS

In line with the cultural and social tasks outlined in the political report of the Central Committee at the Fifth National Congress and Resolution No. 36 of the Central Party Secretariat on the immediate tasks of ideological work, the General Union of Vietnamese Workers and the Ministry of Culture convened a meeting to discuss cultural and artistic activities among workers and adopted the following joint resolution:

I. REGARDING THE SITUATION AND TASKS

In recent years, despite difficulties in production and living conditions, the cultural and artistic movement among workers and officials has been maintained and some aspects have developed relatively well, partially satisfying the cultural needs of workers and officials. AT In southern provinces and cities, the mass cultural movement has developed quite strongly, contributing to the struggle against residual colonial culture, uniting, educating, and motivating workers and officials to compete in labor productivity and thrift, building a new culture and a new person. ATIn northern provinces, the cultural and artistic movement continues to develop healthily.

However, generally speaking, the movement is not comprehensive, not continuous; its educational, combatant, and especially mass character are not high enough. The activities of clubs and libraries are showing signs of decline. Many new factors and good examples are not being promoted. Professional cultural and artistic activities often concentrate in cities and towns, and are not proactive in planning to serve workers and officials in mountainous areas, border regions, new economic zones, construction sites, farms, and forest farms where there are many difficulties and shortages in both material and cultural life.

To implement the resolutions of the Fifth Congress of the Party and quickly overcome the above shortcomings, all levels of trade unions and the cultural sector must ensure that those engaged in mass cultural and artistic activities and professional cultural and artistic activities fully and deeply understand the "heavy responsibility of the revolutionary cultural and ideological transformation, which is to continue to transform and build people, promote good people and good deeds, criticize bad and unhealthy things, create conditions to promote the entire process of building socialism and defending the socialist motherland," and "bring culture into the daily life of the people. Particularly focus on building cultural life at the grassroots level, ensuring that every factory, construction site, farm, forest farm... every office, school, hospital, store... has cultural life."⁽¹⁾All cultural and artistic activities must be directed towards educating and motivating workers and officials to enhance their sense of collective ownership in the socialist society, improve their cultural, scientific, and technical levels, exploit all potential capabilities, strive to overcome difficulties in production and living conditions, successfully complete economic and social targets set by the Fifth Congress of the Party, and contribute to building a workforce that is increasingly strong in all aspects, meeting the growing cultural needs of workers and officials.

II. REGARDING MASS CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC ACTIVITIES
AT THE LOCAL LEVEL

It is necessary to clearly recognize that the more difficult the situation, the more we must intensify mass cultural and artistic activities at the local level, without waiting for or demanding sufficient conditions before proceeding. The General Union of Vietnamese Workers, the Ministry of Culture, and relevant management sectors share the responsibility for caring for the cultural life of workers. We must "expand the mass cultural and artistic movement even further, truly linking it with production and combat movements, creating a source that will never run dry for the new culture..."⁽²⁾.

To expand mass cultural and artistic activities at the local level, all levels of trade unions and the cultural sector need to focus on several tasks as follows:

1. Develop information dissemination, propaganda, and exhibition activities to strongly encourage the labor and thrift competition movement, highlight new people and new events, and promptly criticize negative phenomena in production and life. Timely combat and prevent enemy propaganda and psychological warfare.

2. Guide, motivate, encourage, and create conditions to promote the development of cultural and artistic creation, focusing on types such as songs, drama, cheo opera, cải lương, tấu, literature, poetry, paintings, sculptures... making mass artistic activities always have new content, linked to production and life, reflecting the life and people at the grassroots level vividly. Each year, guide the content of creation and performance at the grassroots level to introduce new programs and excellent performers. On this basis, select and improve the quality of programs to perform at provincial and city club levels. When necessary, organize exchanges of cultural performances with other regions.

The organization of local-level performances is stipulated as follows: once a year at the grassroots level; twice every two years at the district and provincial levels; and once every five years at the central level. Trade union organizations and cultural departments at all levels need to closely coordinate and reasonably plan to avoid frequent and prolonged dispatches of art teams for performances, which may affect production and the lives of workers and officials.

3. Consolidate the system of libraries and reading rooms at the grassroots level and residential areas to enhance the knowledge of workers and officials in all fields. Continue to supplement books for libraries, mainly political, scientific and technical books related to professions, cultural and artistic books, and books for children. There should be competent library managers and book promotion.

4. Guide and organize education on the traditions of the working class, mainly the traditions of the grassroots level. Focus on writing history, collecting artifacts, organizing exhibitions, introducing, etc., to foster pride in the working class, educate about historical and human traditions through the struggles and contributions of enterprises, so that grassroots workers and officials can proudly and honorably follow each other in continuous efforts.

5. Restore the operation of grassroots club activities according to the factory club rules issued by the General Confederation of Trade Unions and the Ministry of Culture on November 18, 1974, making clubs truly become centers for propaganda and cultural activities at the grassroots level, building new lives and new people. AT localities conduct annual reviews and biennial summaries. AT the central level conducts a summary of club work every four years.

6. Rectify organization, improve content, and methods of operation of provincial and municipal clubs, first and foremost consolidating the labor clubs in Hanoi, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City, and the workers' cultural house in Quang Ninh to become educational and cultural activity centers, guiding professional skills and disseminating experiences to grassroots clubs. The Vietnam General Confederation of Trade Unions and the Ministry of Culture will assist the Hanoi Federation of Trade Unions in establishing a cadre framework, organizational direction, management methods for the Hanoi Labor Cultural House, and preparing thoroughly in all aspects, especially preparing a cadre team with professional skills to be able to operate by the end of 1983.

Provincial and municipal clubs, cultural houses, and labor cultural centers are organized and managed by trade unions, with the cultural sector responsible for assistance and professional guidance. The Federation of Trade Unions and the Department of Culture must discuss and agree on plans to enhance the effectiveness of provincial and municipal labor clubs.

7. Guide the utilization of trade union film projection teams, the Ministry of Culture and the Vietnam General Confederation of Trade Unions will re-plan the service areas for state-owned film projection teams and trade union film projection teams serving workers and civil servants. The state-owned film projection sector needs to pay due attention to the distribution of good films and provision of materials and equipment for trade union film projection teams to serve workers and civil servants.

8. Encourage the gradual construction of material bases for cultural activities such as clubs, libraries, and traditional rooms in production sites and residential areas of workers and civil servants. Pay special attention to organizing cultural life in regions concentrated with workers and civil servants in mountainous and border provinces. Plan to guide the construction of civilized residential areas and new cultural families.

9. To create conditions for cultural and artistic activities serving workers and civil servants, cultural and artistic activities organized by trade unions at all levels are allowed to collect fees to cover expenses. Revenue and expenditure must comply with national regulations and those of the Vietnam General Confederation of Trade Unions.

III. ON PROFESSIONAL CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC ACTIVITIES SERVING WORKERS AND CIVIL SERVANTS

Cultural agencies from the central to local levels must consider workers as the primary service recipients. They must provide high-quality cultural and artistic achievements to serve workers, assist and create conditions for the mass cultural and artistic movement among workers and civil servants to develop further. Special attention should be given to serving workers and civil servants in concentrated industrial zones, heavy and hazardous industries, border provinces, newly economic zones, construction sites, farms, and forest farms.

The Publishing and Press Bureau, the General Company for Import and Distribution of Books and Newspapers need to prioritize sending good books and beautiful pictures to industrial production facilities and workers. Libraries and reading rooms in enterprises and agencies are prioritized in purchasing necessary books. The State Library sector assists grassroots libraries and reading rooms in management techniques and book promotion methods. Coordinate with trade unions to organize focused reading sessions with guidance. Professional creative and performance forces need to delve deeper into worker themes. Content of works and programs emphasize reflecting and elevating the image of Vietnamese workers in revolutionary struggles, in the cause of building socialism and defending the socialist motherland.

Central and provincial theater companies and art troupes need specific targets to serve workers, particularly in areas densely populated with workers and civil servants, and even remote areas. The Ministry of Culture and local Departments of Culture coordinate with trade unions at all levels and literary and artistic associations to encourage artists to go to industrial facilities for creation, performance, and aesthetic education for workers and civil servants, viewing this as a glorious duty of revolutionary artists.

The Film Bureau and Film Distribution Company need to select good feature films, especially those with excellent educational content and the latest documentary and scientific technical films, to show to workers. Movie theaters showing films that attract large crowds must plan ticket distribution to ensure workers and civil servants can watch. Coordinate with trade unions to organize focused industrial-themed film sessions; unify service areas, film sources, and reasonably adjust rental prices for different groups and regions; supply film projection materials and improve the professional skills of trade union film projection teams. Annually, the cultural sector coordinates with trade unions to screen the best films and perform the best artistic programs for outstanding workers, labor heroes, and workers who have exceeded state plans during the year-end period.

The Central Cultural House and provincial and municipal cultural houses guide the content and methods of work for the system of clubs and labor cultural houses through trade union organizations at all levels, while enhancing the quality of worker artistic teams. Conversely, cultural houses and labor clubs need to maintain close ties with central cultural houses in provinces and cities.

The Preservation and Museum Department has the responsibility to formulate plans to guide and create conditions for the construction of grassroots traditional rooms or memorials, particularly focusing on guiding the writing of the history of these places, especially where there are clear traditions.

The Department of Mass Culture shall coordinate with the Propaganda Commission and the General Confederation of Labor of Vietnam to study and guide mass movements for building civilized collective living areas and new cultural families, combat superstitious and eccentric practices, outdated customs, and oppose the circulation of colonial reactionary and decadent culture, thereby constructing a new culture and a new person.

Each Department of Culture annually needs to report to the Federation of Labor Unions on cultural and artistic targets serving workers and officials, as well as cultural materials and supplies distributed to local facilities.

IV. ON ORGANIZATION AND STAFF

Ensuring the cultural life of workers and officials at the grassroots level requires a unified coordination in policy and implementation measures among the factory director, labor union, and youth league under the leadership of the grassroots Party Committee. Therefore, each factory, construction site, farm, and forest station must establish a mass culture council headed by the director, with the labor union as deputy head, representatives from the youth league, and other members who are enthusiastic, capable, and have the conditions to engage in activities as committee members. This organization's responsibility is to coordinate cultural and artistic activities at the grassroots level according to a specific program and working regulations, serving an advisory role rather than being a functional agency like the departments under the factory director.

The General Confederation of Labor of Vietnam and the Ministry of Culture need to review the specialized staff in mass culture, affirming the number of grassroots units that require specialized staff to ensure adequate personnel truly skilled in mass culture work.

Regarding the training of staff

- Responsibility of the labor union: Conduct surveys on the situation of specialized and non-specialized mass culture staff at the grassroots level; establish standards for staff, develop training plans at local labor union schools and the Central Labor Union College to enhance the knowledge and skills of mass culture staff and managers of clubs and workers' cultural houses.

- Responsibility of the cultural sector: Higher education institutions and colleges in the cultural and arts sectors must have recruitment quotas for the mass culture movement annually; distribution quotas for cultural centers, cultural houses, and labor clubs at the provincial and city levels based on the needs of the labor union. Assist in developing the training curriculum for the mass culture department at the Central Labor Union College.

The Northwest Cultural and Arts School, the North Vietnam Cultural and Arts School, and the Cultural Vocational School of the Ministry of Culture in Ho Chi Minh City are responsible for training management and vocational staff at the secondary level to be allocated to large enterprises with over 1,000 workers.

Cultural and arts schools under the Departments and Bureaus of Culture should annually open short-term training courses ranging from 1 to 3 months to enhance the vocational skills of staff in local factories, construction sites, farms, and forest stations, moving towards establishing intermediate vocational courses.

At the short-term training courses for management and work methods organized annually by the Department of Mass Culture and the Central Cultural House, enrollment announcements and acceptance of students nominated by the labor unions should be made.

V. SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY AND COOPERATION IN WORK

The development of grassroots mass culture primarily relies on the promotion of self-reliance, initiative, creativity, and the exploitation of all local potentials to organize the cultural life of workers and officials. The organization and guidance of grassroots mass cultural activities must follow the principle of Party leadership, administrative responsibility, labor union organization and management, and youth league backbone. Higher-level agencies, including ministries, industry management sectors, the Ministry of Culture, and the General Confederation of Labor of Vietnam also share common responsibilities for the cultural and spiritual life of workers and officials. Specifically:

The labor union, in conjunction with the Communist Youth League Ho Chi Minh, bears primary responsibility for organizing and guiding cultural and artistic activities among workers.

The cultural sector has the main responsibility to bring professional culture and art to serve workers; train and nurture mass culture staff; provide some specialized cultural materials; guide professional methods and improve the quality of cultural and artistic activities among workers.

Ministries and industry management sectors bear primary responsibility for building material infrastructure for cultural activities such as clubhouses, reading rooms, traditional houses, etc., creating favorable conditions for the vigorous development of grassroots mass cultural and artistic activities in collaboration with the labor union and youth league to properly organize the cultural life of workers and officials. The General Confederation of Labor of Vietnam and the Ministry of Culture will jointly study and propose recommendations to the Council of Ministers regarding the responsibilities of ministries, sectors, economic management agencies, enterprise heads, and other leaders concerning the organization and care for the cultural life of workers and officials at the grassroots level.

The joint ministry will issue guidelines for implementing this resolution. Once a year, the leadership of the joint ministry will convene meetings to assess the situation of the movement, review completed tasks, and outline necessary actions for cultural and artistic work among workers.

Every six months, relevant bureaus, departments, institutes, and sectors under the Ministry of Culture will coordinate with the General Confederation of Labor's Propaganda Commission and industry management sectors to review and discuss mass cultural activities among workers.

Every six months, the Departments and Bureaus of Culture and the Federation of Labor Unions will convene meetings to review and discuss cultural and artistic work among workers in their respective regions.

The General Confederation of Labor and the Ministry of Culture will entrust the Department of Mass Culture and the General Confederation of Labor's Propaganda Commission to organize, guide, and supervise the implementation of this resolution.

In 1982, the joint ministry will undertake the following tasks:

- Organize a conference to summarize club activities in the second quarter of 1982;

- Survey and research the situation in some enterprises in Hanoi; organize a special conference to discuss grassroots cultural life, the establishment of new lifestyles, and the creation of new people.

- Guidelines to promote the movement of creating cultural and artistic programs that meet the educational requirements of the new situation, organizing grassroots art performances in 1982, provincial and municipal art festivals, and the nationwide workers' art festival in 1983, to celebrate the Fifth National Congress of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor;

- Organize specialized meetings on the activities of labor union film projection teams and the city's workers' cultural center in Hanoi.

The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor and the Ministry of Culture hope that all levels of labor unions, cultural departments at various levels, and cultural officers will work together with initiative, creativity, and socialist cooperation to effectively implement this resolution, contributing positively to the development of the cultural and artistic movement and the cultural life of workers and civil servants.