Wage reform: there are many things to be done

Civil servants and public employees handle administrative procedures for citizens at the one-stop department in Ngo Quyen district, Hai Phong city. Illustration photo: nhandan.vn

Wages after implementing the reform will increase by about 30%

At the recent 6th session, the National Assembly passed a Resolution on the state budget estimate for 2024. Accordingly, it is expected that the total central budget allocated to implement wage reform is about VND 132 trillion; The accumulated source of the local budget is about over VND 430 trillion. Thus, the budget has allocated VND 562 trillion to ensure enough to carry out synchronous reform of salary policy from July 1, 2024 according to Resolution 27-NQ/TW in 2018 of the 12th Central Party Committee on political reform. Salary policy for officials, civil servants, public employees, armed forces and employees in enterprises.

The notable point of the new salary policy is that the lowest salary of the public sector is equal to the lowest regional average salary of the corporate sector. In addition, the new salary policy also expands the salary relationship from the current 1 - 2.34 - 10 to 1 - 2.68 - 12.

In addition to the basic salary, the new salary regime also rearranges allowances accounting for a maximum of 30% of the total salary budget (in some cases 30% higher or lower than 30%) and 10% bonus.

According to Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra, in the past four years, we have not implemented salary reform, but we have adjusted the base salary twice, increasing by 29.5%. Therefore, in total from 2021 (the expected time to implement salary reform in the spirit of Resolution 27-NQ/TW in 2018) to July 1, 2024, the salaries of officials, civil servants and employees The average position also increased quite a lot, about 60%. Although this number is not outstanding, it is a significant increase compared to the average annual increase of 7% before salary reform was implemented.

According to the upcoming salary reform plan from July 1, 2024, it is expected to increase the average salary by 30% for officials, civil servants and public employees (including basic salary and allowances). Since 2025, this salary will continue to be adjusted to increase by an average annual increase of about 7%/year.

Currently, there are 134,284 officials and civil servants of state administrative agencies and units applying special financial and income mechanisms (with salary increases beyond the general regime from 0.66 times to 2.43 times). This number accounts for about 6.78% of the total payroll of cadres, civil servants and public employees of the country. When abolishing specific salary and income mechanisms and policies, they will enjoy new salaries (including allowances) that may be lower than before the salary reform. Therefore, to ensure benefits for these workers, the Ministry of Home Affairs calculates and advises competent authorities to consider and reserve the current salary and specific income. That is, the new salary (including reservations) of these cadres, civil servants and public employees is not lower than when salary reform had not been implemented in accordance with the spirit of Resolution No. 27, ensuring fairness between employees. Salary beneficiaries before and after salary reform.

Streamlining staffing is a prerequisite

Adding more information about the process of developing guiding documents to prepare for the implementation of salary reform from July 1, according to Ms. Nguyen Bich Thu, Acting Director of the Wage Department (Ministry of Home Affairs), the Ministry of Home Affairs will coordinate Collaborate with relevant agencies to develop documents of the Party, National Assembly, and Government agencies, complete documents, and implement new salary regimes.

"In developing the report to the Politburo, we have completed the dossier and are preparing to submit it to the competent authorities before submitting it to the Politburo's opinion. After receiving the Politburo's opinion, it will be the basis. basis for agencies to issue documents. The Government will issue a decree on salary regimes for officials, civil servants, public employees, and the armed forces," Ms. Thu added.

Ms. Thu said there will be a Resolution of the National Assembly Standing Committee on the new salary regime for civil servants and public employees of agencies under the National Assembly, People's Councils at provincial and district levels, Courts, Procuracy, State Audit. As for Party agencies, there will be a Decision of the Secretariat on the new salary regime for Party agencies, the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations. Along with that, the Ministry of Home Affairs will have over 10 circulars guiding implementation and will try its best to ensure progress according to the plan issued by the Prime Minister.

Mentioning the difficulties that may be encountered when implementing wage reform, talking with Customs Magazine reporters, former Deputy Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Minh Huan, former Chairman of the Money Council National Salary said that dedicating resources amounting to hundreds of trillions of VND to reform wages shows the high determination of the Party and State because this is the most difficult issue in previous wage reforms. Therefore, we must clearly realize that streamlining payrolls is a prerequisite for wage policy reform. Reasonable re-division of labor will contribute to increasing labor productivity and creating social growth. develop the country. Doing this, it is necessary to transform public service units towards autonomy and self-responsibility, but it must be done selectively, ensuring these units meet all operating conditions. according to regulations of the Law.

In addition, if you want to reform wages, you must have resources, those resources come from streamlining payroll, from saving expenses, from preventing corruption and negativity, from practicing thrift, preventing waste, from increasing local and central revenue. When revenue increases beyond the target, that money must be saved to implement salary reform. At the same time, growth investment expenditure must be reduced to reserve part of resources for wage reform.