New salary policy is being finalized

On the morning of May 25, the National Assembly discussed in groups the socio-economic situation with many issues of concern, including the issue of officials being afraid of responsibility and not daring to work, as well as the story of salary reform.

Strictly handle officials who are afraid of mistakes and responsibility

In a supplementary assessment of the 2022 results, the Government said that budget revenue reached VND 1,815.5 trillion, higher than the reported figure of VND 201.4 trillion (up 12.5%), promptly and fully meeting development investment expenditure tasks, implementing social security policies, salary reform and other urgent tasks.

New salary structure according to Resolution 27

However, GDP growth in the first quarter of 2023 (reaching 3.32%) was lower than the same period (5.03%); budget revenue tended to decrease.

The Government also forecasts that difficulties and challenges remain enormous, with the economy continuing to suffer a "double impact" from negative external factors and internal limitations and shortcomings that have lasted for many years.

That context requires all levels, sectors and localities to make efforts to overcome difficulties, overcome limitations and shortcomings, strongly promote growth momentum, mobilize and effectively use all resources...

The Government requires ministries, branches and localities to focus on a number of key contents in the coming time. These include strengthening budget revenue management, ensuring correct, sufficient and timely revenue collection; thoroughly saving expenditures, especially regular expenditures...

At the same time, the Government requires tightening discipline and order; improving public service ethics; continuing to improve the organizational structure, streamlining the payroll; implementing the salary reform roadmap; urgently perfecting the mechanism to encourage and protect dynamic, creative cadres who dare to think, dare to do, dare to make breakthroughs for the common good; strictly handling cadres who are afraid of making mistakes, afraid of responsibility, shirking responsibility, and avoiding when performing public duties.

Examining this content, the National Assembly's Economic Committee noted that the work of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of state management is still limited and has shortcomings that need attention.

The auditing agency reiterated Resolution No. 68/2022, which sets out the tasks and solutions to "Implement solutions to protect cadres who dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility for the common good; develop mechanisms and policies to improve working conditions and environment, promptly overcome the mentality of avoiding and fearing responsibility of a number of cadres, civil servants, and public employees, and the situation of civil servants and public employees asking to quit their jobs".

Therefore, the Economic Committee requests the Government to report more clearly on these contents. In particular, in the face of a series of cadres, civil servants and public employees being disciplined, prosecuted and indicted for serious violations in the process of operation and management, leading to a phenomenon where a large number of cadres, civil servants and public employees have an attitude of avoiding responsibility, leading to stagnation in the operation of the state apparatus from the central to the grassroots level.

This has caused difficulties and congestion in handling administrative procedures for people and businesses.

Therefore, the review agency recommends that the Government study and evaluate current legal regulations and propose specific solutions to ensure consistency, synchronization, strictness and safety for cadres, party members, civil servants and public employees in performing public duties.

The Economic Committee also requested the Government to report more specifically on the implementation of the new wage regime according to Resolution 27-NQ/TW dated May 21, 2018 of the 12th Party Central Committee on reforming wage policies for cadres, civil servants, public employees, armed forces and employees in enterprises.

Reorganize the allowance regimes

Regarding salary reform, responding to VietNamNet newspaper, Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra said that the ministry is researching and perfecting the specific contents of the new salary policy, ensuring that it is consistent with the viewpoints, goals, contents, tasks and solutions for salary policy reform as required in Resolution No. 27, and submitting it to competent authorities for consideration and decision.

In particular, the development and promulgation of salary tables for positions must ensure consistency and uniformity with the list of positions, leadership positions and equivalents of the political system from the central to grassroots levels and amend the allowance level for holding concurrent positions.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has completed the report on "implementation results and roadmap for reforming salary policies for cadres, civil servants, public employees, armed forces and employees in enterprises" to submit to competent authorities.

In particular, the Ministry of Home Affairs proposed to develop a plan to synchronously implement the contents of the new salary regime according to Resolution No. 27.

Specifically, increase the lowest salary in the public sector to the average lowest salary in the business sector; expand the salary relationship; rearrange allowance regimes and restructure the ratio between basic salary and allowances; and supplement the bonus fund.

Regarding the source of funds to implement salary reform, Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra said that according to the Ministry of Finance's report, the results of streamlining the payroll associated with the organization and restructuring of the staff, civil servants and public employees contributed to reducing expenditures and saving state budget expenditures in 4 years (2017-2021) of VND 25,638 billion.

This funding source is an important State budget source to implement salary increases in 2023 and following years.

“I hope that next year, when the domestic economic situation improves, we will begin implementing the salary reform roadmap with the goal of ensuring the lives of wage earners and their families, and achieving social progress and justice,” said the Minister of the Interior.

Source