Dr. Huynh Thi Kim Hoi: Then and now
THE PASS AND NOW
Dr. Huynh Thi Kim Hoi
Former Chairman of the Trade Union of the Institute of ST&TNSV
"That day" that we Trade Unionists want to talk about here was the days of subsidies - life depended on the stamp regime and provision according to regulations - the most difficult thing at that time was daily work. living. Every union meeting, the life committee also reports the longest. The comrades assigned to be in charge of life work are those who are "chosen to send gold" by the union and must be agile, resourceful, fair-minded and very enthusiastic. Food items purchased with stamps were then brought into the office and sold by food stores to officials and employees during office hours, and so it was women and older men who had to take care of the food. holding the family's food stamps, he continued down to the mandarin's canteen to line up to buy food. For meat, everyone wants to buy pork belly or prime meat to get 1 for 2, and for fish, you can never buy big fish or fresh fish. Sea fish at that time were mainly copperhead fish and red snapper, the most common were copperfish, the diameter of the fish was only about 4 - 5cm. We still remember that day, Mr. Khang, our Trade Union officer, called it fish. Children. Occasionally, the Trade Union is contacted to buy industrial chickens to distribute to brothers and sisters. When dividing, the brothers and sisters must weigh them immediately and put them in plastic bags so that everyone can then check that they still have enough weight. Two or three times a month, when contacting the West Lake and Thong Nhat fish companies, each union group sends members to receive fish to share with fellow union members. Each time, everyone must be present at the place to receive fish from 4 or 5 am. But sometimes it's past noon or afternoon before it's time to receive the fish, and most of the time, after dividing, working hours are over, and sometimes it's late at night before the division is finished. It's so hard but no one complains. Many research groups also go on business trips to local areas and if they have delicious food items such as rice or eggs, they buy them to share with union members in the Institute. During those difficult subsidized years, if the union had an active union executive committee, every Tet, brothers and sisters would be given rice, meat, green beans, and delicious fish sauce to celebrate Tet in addition to standard Tet gift bags purchased according to standards. issued by the state. Our Union of the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources in those years was also one of the dynamic Unions of the Vietnam Academy of Sciences, with many achievements in life's work.
As for "now", there is no need to discuss or say much. Housewives only need to worry about calculating how to ensure that meals are nutritious without being repeated during the week. Buying and selling is also extremely convenient. Even from small sidewalk markets, there are all kinds of foods such as fish, meat, beans, vegetables, etc. best. Fish, shrimp, and sea crabs are also fresh and alive swimming in pots. The saying goes, "Hundreds of sellers, ten thousand buyers" but during the subsidy period, when any new product came out, everyone competed to buy it, not to mention having to distribute it from matchboxes and cigarette packs. After the bride and groom register their marriage, they can buy a double bed with the registration certificate, and the deceased can buy a coffin with a death certificate. Nowadays there are all kinds of beds and coffins from the cheapest to the most expensive, comfortable, anyone can buy "as many" as they want as long as they have the money. The goods sold on the market today are extremely rich in all types to serve the daily needs of people. Therefore, people have the feeling that there are "thousands of sellers" but only "hundreds of buyers". If in the past, women could only eat new rice when they gave birth, then today no one has to eat stale rice like commercial rice sold at subsidized rates. In the past, because of lack of protein, each person had to eat 3. 4 bowls of rice, today only 1 or 2 bowls are enough and the main thing is to eat food and fruits. There is even a group that, when they eat at luxury stores, remind them to serve lots of vegetables. Because public services are too complete, the daily life of the trade union executive committee today is no longer the focus. The main task of the Trade Union Executive Committee now is to encourage trade union members to participate in successfully completing assigned political tasks and successfully complete emulation movements launched by upper-level and grassroots trade unions. . Well organize cultural, artistic, and rest activities for trade union members and advise and supervise all activities of the unit, contributing to the stability, consolidation, and development of the agency. Today's trade union executive committee needs a new creative dynamism to help union members in the unit always be happy, young, live harmoniously and healthy to contribute the most to the scientific cause of the country in general. and the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources in particular.