Faculty of Law organizes a seminar on "Handling labor discipline for behavior on social networks - Perspectives from British and Australian law"

On the morning of June 20, 2025, the Faculty of Law - Van Lang University organized the 6th topic "Handling labor discipline for behavior on social networks - Perspectives from British and Australian law". The program provided students with a multi-dimensional perspective on international law in the context of cyberspace, while expanding opportunities for professional exchange between lecturers, trainees and students of the Faculty of Law.

Dr. Vu Thi Thuy, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Law, emphasized that the topic is an important academic bridge between students, trainees and international experts in the context of cyber behavior increasingly affecting labor relations and human resource management.

In his presentation, Dr. Do Hai Ha, an expert at the Center for Asian Legal Studies, University of Melbourne (Australia), analyzed many practical situations in the UK and Australia, in which employees were disciplined, even terminated contracts, for their statements on social networks. Notably, Gary Lineker, a commentator for the BBC, was suspended from work after posting a critical article on Twitter about the British government, sparking debate about freedom of speech and neutrality in public media.

Dr. Do Hai Ha said: “In the UK and Australia, social media policies of agencies, especially in the public sector, are very strict. However, the boundary between the right to freely express personal opinions and professional obligations is a complex legal issue that needs to be carefully determined.”

The discussion was lively with many questions revolving around the possibility of applying international experience to Vietnamese law, the limits of privacy rights and the role of internal communication management in enterprises. Answering the question of whether Vietnam can build a similar handling mechanism, Dr. Do Hai Ha commented: “Each country’s law has a different foundation, but what can be learned is how to establish appropriate adjustment principles: transparency, feasibility and balance between organizational interests and individual rights. Vietnam currently does not have a specific legal framework on this issue, but it is completely possible to develop based on the current labor law and international practices.”

The topic contributes to clarifying the relationship between employer control and individual rights such as the right to expression and privacy. Through practical examples, Dr. Do Hai Ha emphasized that even in countries with developed legal systems, handling behavior on social networks is often controversial and there is no “common denominator” for all cases.

The Faculty of Law expects that the series of academic activities will enhance legal thinking for learners, promote professional cooperation and build a training foundation approaching international standards at Van Lang University.

News: Dang Khoa
Photos: Trung Quan