Comments on salary reform and pension adjustment

Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra speaks. Photo: Doan Tan/VNA

Improve the lives of officials, civil servants, public employees and workers in the public sector

Presenting a summary report, Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra said that, regarding the implementation of some salary policy reforms for the public sector, the Government has adjusted the basic salary from VND 1.8 million to VND 2.34 million, an increase of 30%, applied synchronously from July 1, 2024. This is the highest increase ever.

Pursuant to Resolution 142/2024/QH15 of the National Assembly , the Government issued Decree 73/2024/ND-CP guiding localities in developing bonus regulations. The Government also added regulations on salary increase by one level for cadres, civil servants, public employees who are assigned to the grassroots level and those with outstanding qualities and abilities, and with particularly outstanding achievements contributing to agencies, organizations, and units.

Regarding the funding source for implementing the salary regime, the Minister of Finance has issued Circular No. 62 guiding the determination of the need, source and method of spending to implement the basic salary and bonus regime. The Government has submitted to the National Assembly for promulgation a Resolution on the state budget estimate, which allows expanding the scope of using the accumulated source of salary policy reform of the central and local budgets to spend on adjusting pensions, social insurance benefits, preferential benefits for people with meritorious services, social benefits and social security policies as well as to implement the goal of streamlining the payroll.

Regarding the salary and income management mechanism, the Government has issued Decree 60/2021/ND-CP stipulating the financial autonomy mechanism of public service units; regulations on the allocation of state, party and mass organization management expenditure estimates, and at the same time perfecting specific salary mechanisms and policies for agencies and units applying specific financial and income mechanisms.

In addition, pensions, social insurance benefits and monthly allowances have been adjusted to increase by 15%... The pensions, social insurance benefits and monthly allowances after adjustment are the basis for calculating the adjustments to pensions, social insurance benefits and monthly allowances in subsequent adjustments.

Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra also informed that from July 1, 2024, all subjects related to pension and allowance benefits have been implemented. Central ministries, branches and People's Committees of provinces and cities carry out information and propaganda work on salary reform; proactively and actively implement the policies of the Party and the National Assembly and implement legal documents on salary, pension, social insurance, preferential allowances for people with meritorious services and social allowances; actively implement the streamlining of the organizational apparatus, streamlining the payroll of those receiving salaries from the state budget, restructuring the team of cadres, civil servants and public employees in the spirit of Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW.

Examining this content, the Standing Committee of the Committee for Culture and Social Affairs acknowledged and highly appreciated the Government's efforts in implementing salary policy reform according to the resolutions of the Central Executive Committee, the conclusions of the Politburo and Resolution No. 142 in the context of the country's many difficulties and challenges.

Salary reform has contributed to fundamentally increasing income, significantly improving the lives of cadres, civil servants, public employees and workers in the public sector, creating motivation to improve productivity and work efficiency, while increasing income, creating trust and consensus among pensioners, contributing to social stability.

However, according to Chairman of the Committee for Culture and Society Nguyen Dac Vinh, the report does not have specific data on the number of cadres, civil servants, and public employees at each level, each region, each locality... corresponding to the amount of salary expenditure to have an overall and substantive assessment of the proportion of salary expenditure in the total state budget expenditure accurately. Meanwhile, salary reform is an important task, requiring stable and proactive resources, ensuring feasible policies, and effective use of resources.

Through actual contact with voters, surveys in some localities, voters' feedback, and mass media, it is shown that there are certain difficulties that need to be further researched, evaluated, and resolved by the Government.

Encourage performance-based pay

Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Khac Dinh speaks. Photo: Doan Tan/VNA

Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Khac Dinh said that the 2024 salary adjustment is a remarkable achievement and is highly appreciated by officials, party members, people, and salary earners, contributing to improving people's lives, ensuring social security, and promoting socio-economic development.

Noting that propaganda work needs to avoid misunderstandings that salaries will be adjusted in the future, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man emphasized that it is necessary to clarify that this is to give opinions on the Government's report on implementing a number of salary policy reforms that have been implemented since July 1, 2024, and that in 2025 there will be no more budget resources to continue to increase salaries as in 2024.

The National Assembly Chairman requested the Ministry of Home Affairs to coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to clarify the number of organizations and staff that have been reduced in the first phase of the organizational arrangement of the Party, National Assembly, Government and local committees. From there, calculate how to save the budget. When merging communes and provinces, how many cadres, civil servants and public employees will quit their jobs according to Decree 177 and 178?

“You said 100,000 cadres, civil servants, and public employees, is that right, or is it more... In the near future, we must clarify these numbers, speak with evidence, and come up with these numbers from practice,” the National Assembly Chairman emphasized.

According to the National Assembly Chairman, only when there are figures can we specifically assess the streamlining and reduction of the apparatus and staff, thereby saving how much budget can be allocated for development investment and social security policies. These issues must be carefully calculated and balanced. The National Assembly Chairman asked Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai to be in charge of this field, and the leaders of the Economic and Financial Committee to work specifically with relevant agencies.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man speaks. Photo: Doan Tan/VNA

The National Assembly Chairman also noted that the minimum wage increase is consistent with the cost of living. Unlike before, when prices increased without increasing wages, in the July 1, 2024 wage increase, wages will increase but prices will not increase.

In addition, the National Assembly Chairman noted how to encourage performance-based salary payment and apply clear performance evaluation criteria to reward and motivate cadres, civil servants, and public employees to work.

Accepting the opinions of the National Assembly Standing Committee, the Minister of Home Affairs said that he would complete a full and comprehensive report and coordinate to propose a number of related tasks. In the immediate future, he would coordinate with competent authorities to propose to the Central Executive Committee to re-evaluate Resolution 27 on salary policy reform, on that basis, there would be fundamental and strategic solutions for the implementation of long-term salary policy.

The Ministry of Home Affairs will also clarify further the data after implementing the restructuring of the apparatus and streamlining of staff in phase 1 for central ministries, branches and specialized agencies of the political system from the central to local levels.

The Ministry of Home Affairs is consulting to have additional policies for non-professional staff who retire in accordance with the general direction of competent authorities.

According to sggp.org.vn

Source: https://baoapbac.vn/xa-hoi/202504/cho-y-kien-ve-viec-thuc-hien-cai-cach-tien-luong-dieu-chinh-luong-huu-1039995/