Lesson 2: Difficulties remain

In 2021, when implementing the administrative unit merger according to the Resolution of the National Assembly Standing Committee on the rearrangement of district and commune-level administrative units in the 2019-2021 period, the entire province had 270 redundant commune-level officials and civil servants. After nearly 5 years of rearrangement, localities have resolved the retirement of 8 people, downsized 132 people, transferred 10 people to district-level positions, and reassigned 104 people to other positions. To date, there are still 16 redundant people, and according to regulations, this surplus must be resolved by 2024.

In reality, while some localities have completed the process of reassigning surplus commune-level officials and civil servants according to schedule, many others are still struggling and have not achieved the results as planned.

In 2020, after the merger, Lung Than commune (Si Ma Cai district) had 38 officials and civil servants. Since then, despite implementing various measures to reorganize the administrative apparatus and rotate personnel, there are still 28 officials and civil servants (5 more than the regulations allow). The commune currently has 4 Deputy Secretaries of the Party Committee, in addition to the Deputy Secretary who is also the Chairman of the People's Committee. To avoid overlapping responsibilities, the commune Party Committee has assigned one Deputy Secretary to also serve as the Chairman of the People's Council, one Deputy Secretary to be in charge of Party building and organization, and one Deputy Secretary to be in charge of inspection and supervision. Quan Ho Than commune is in a similar situation with two surplus key leaders who are Deputy Secretaries of the commune Party Committee.

While the merger of administrative boundaries is merely a mechanical process, reorganizing the administrative apparatus and streamlining personnel is extremely challenging. After the merger, the two communes of Lùng Thẩn and Quan Hồ Thẩn had 85 officials and civil servants. To date, there are still 15 surplus officials, although the district has temporarily assigned tasks to 13 of them. However, these officials are not included in the total allocated staff; therefore, the local authorities are still awaiting guidance to calculate their salaries and allowances.

In Sa Pa town, to date, policies and positions have been resolved and reassigned for 30 civil servants, leaving 5 surplus positions as Deputy Secretaries of the Party Committee in the communes of Hoang Lien, Muong Hoa, Thanh Binh, Muong Bo, and Lien Minh.

Looking back at the work of arranging the staff of officials and civil servants in the communes with adjusted administrative boundaries in Bac Ha district in the past period, Ms. Nguyen Thi Nga, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Bac Ha District Party Committee, shared: In reality, the arrangement of officials and civil servants still arises but has shortcomings. For example, transferring a Party official to a state civil servant position is very difficult for them in terms of professional expertise. Especially the arrangement of officials in mass organizations, because they are leaders in various movements, elected by members and union members in the locality, but now they are transferred to another commune. For instance, a chairperson of the Women's Association in a commune that became redundant after the merger of Lau Thi Ngai and Lung Phinh communes had to be assigned to chair the Women's Association in Ta Cu Ty commune, a remote and difficult commune where the customs and traditions of the women's association members are completely different… making it very difficult for mobilization and propaganda work.

According to a report from the Department of Internal Affairs, after nearly five years of implementing administrative unit restructuring, many localities have completed the restructuring of redundant officials and civil servants. However, some units are still facing difficulties and have not yet completed the process. The reasons are: After the merger of commune-level administrative units, the number of commune-level officials and civil servants had to be significantly reduced simultaneously, while also having to implement the downsizing of 2 positions per commune (according to Decree No. 34/2019/ND-CP). The majority of redundant officials and civil servants are local people, well-trained, young, and dedicated to contributing to the locality for the long term. However, currently, the number of vacant positions in communes and agencies at the district level is very small due to restructuring from 2020 to the present, and the district-level staff will continue to be reduced in the period 2021-2026; some vacant positions are not suitable for the qualifications of the redundant civil servants. Therefore, arranging for the replacement of surplus civil servants is proving difficult.

In light of this situation, the Department of Internal Affairs has advised the Provincial People's Committee on several solutions, specifically: Districts and towns with surplus civil servants will review the number of civil servants who do not meet the professional qualification standards throughout the district to implement downsizing. Afterward, they will continue to consider assigning and arranging these surplus civil servants into vacant positions. If there are still surplus civil servants, they will be considered for reassignment to other districts (if the civil servant has a need and the unit has suitable job positions) or for resolving downsizing policies and benefits according to regulations. For the remaining surplus officials (9 Deputy Secretaries of the Commune Party Committees): They will continue to review vacant leadership positions to implement reassignment (if suitable) or assign them to commune-level civil servant positions (if the unit has positions and the officials have a need), or resolve downsizing according to regulations.

Recently, the Provincial People's Council also conducted a thematic supervision on this matter. Accordingly, the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council pointed out several shortcomings in the organizational restructuring over the past period, particularly the fact that Lao Cai province has not yet issued relevant policies to support redundant officials, civil servants, and non-specialized personnel at the commune, village, and residential group levels resulting from the restructuring according to Resolution No. 35, dated July 12, 2023, of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly. The Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council also submitted a report requesting the Standing Committee of the National Assembly to consider extending the time for the placement and arrangement of officials and civil servants and the resolution of benefits and policies for redundant personnel due to the restructuring of district and commune-level administrative units in the 2019-2021 period until December 31, 2026.

We propose that the Provincial People's Committee direct relevant agencies to research and propose support policies for redundant civil servants and non-professional personnel at the commune, village, and neighborhood levels resulting from administrative unit restructuring, in accordance with the spirit of Resolution No. 37-NQ/TW of the Politburo and Resolution No. 35/2023 of the National Assembly Standing Committee, ensuring suitability to local realities and compliance with the law. A plan should be developed to adjust the number of civil servants at the commune level for district-level administrative units to accommodate the redistribution of redundant civil servants (Si Ma Cai has 16 redundant civil servants); and the standards for commune-level civil servants should be issued soon in accordance with Decree No. 33/2023/ND-CP to ensure consistent implementation by localities and to facilitate the streamlining of personnel. Provide early feedback on the consideration of transferring commune-level officials (currently temporarily assigned to duties at the commune level) to commune civil servant positions when the district submits a written request for consideration (if there are still commune civil servant positions suitable to their professional training).

Resolution No. 653/2019/UBTVQH14, on the rearrangement of district and commune-level administrative units in the period 2019 - 2021:

Article 9. Number of leaders, managers, and staff of civil servants and public employees of agencies, organizations, and units after restructuring.

1. When developing plans for reorganizing district and commune-level administrative units, it is necessary to assess, classify, and plan the appropriate placement and assignment of tasks for officials, civil servants, and public employees; determine the number of surplus officials, civil servants, and public employees in conjunction with the implementation of personnel reduction; and the arrangement of the number of leaders, managers, and surplus officials, civil servants, and public employees in the new agencies, organizations, and units must have a reasonable roadmap.

2. The provincial People's Committee shall decide on the list and number of job positions and continue to implement downsizing and restructuring of the workforce of cadres, civil servants, and public employees in accordance with the resolutions and conclusions of the Party, the regulations of the State, and in line with reality. No later than 5 years from the effective date of the National Assembly Standing Committee's resolution on the reorganization of each administrative unit, the number of leaders, managers, and civil servants and public employees in the agencies, organizations, and units of the new administrative unit must comply with the regulations.

Final lesson: Practical lessons from the field

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/bai-2-van-con-nhung-kho-khan-post388101.html