Propose to quickly have a policy to support commune-level officials

On the morning of October 29, National Assembly deputies discussed in the hall the results of implementing the 2025 socio-economic development plan; handling issues arising in the reorganization of the state apparatus, promoting decentralization and delegation of power, and removing obstacles...

Deputy Tran Quoc Tuan (Vinh Long) commented that, in addition to stabilizing the macro economy , institutional reform and streamlining the apparatus have also created an important turning point in the process of operating the two-level local government organization model in 34 provinces and cities.

Scene of the meeting on the morning of October 29. Photo: QUANG PHUC

However, Deputy Tran Quoc Tuan informed that voters nationwide continue to expect the Party and State to pay more attention to fundamental issues, especially salary policies and the lives of officials, civil servants and public employees. The Deputy of Vinh Long province said that after nearly 4 months of operating the new government model, the administrative apparatus has become lighter in terms of focal points but heavier in terms of work. Officials and civil servants in many localities, especially at the grassroots level, have to travel further and do more work, while their income has not improved.

National Assembly deputies attend the meeting on October 29. Photo: QUANG PHUC

“According to reports sent to the National Assembly, voters in many localities such as Quang Tri, Binh Thuan, Vinh Long, reflected that after the merger of administrative units, many commune officials had to travel further, in some places 10-15km to reach the new headquarters. Meanwhile, travel allowances and public service allowances have not been adjusted. Voters in Nghe An, Lam Dong, and Dong Thap provinces requested the Government to have policies to support and encourage officials in the merged areas, because life is difficult, travel, housing and living expenses have increased; actual income has decreased by 10-12% compared to before,” Deputy Tran Quoc Tuan stated the situation and emphasized that the above recommendations are not just numbers, but the hearts of grassroots civil servants and public employees - those who shoulder the heavy workload of the state apparatus.

The Prime Minister watches delegates discuss in the hall. Photo: QUANG PHUC

According to Deputy Tran Quoc Tuan, if the staff's living standards are not guaranteed, the effectiveness of policy implementation will also be difficult to meet the requirements. According to the Deputy, although the basic salary has been increased in recent times, it is no longer suitable compared to the current cost of living. Deputy Tran Quoc Tuan proposed to consider adjusting the basic salary increase from January 1, 2026, not waiting until mid-year as in previous periods.

Deputy Tran Quoc Tuan. Photo: QUANG PHUC

Sharing the same view, Deputy Duong Van Phuoc (Da Nang City) expressed his high confidence that the 2-level local government organization model has been put into operation, confirming its correctness and initially promoting positive effectiveness. However, reality has raised many issues that need to be resolved. The operation process is facing difficulties in terms of mechanism, many documents have not been issued in a timely manner, and overlap with reality, especially related to the decentralization of budget revenue and expenditure, affecting investment projects; technical infrastructure has not met the requirements of the tasks, headquarters are different in each place; commune-level traffic infrastructure has degraded in many places, information technology has not been invested synchronously and smoothly, especially in the field of land registration for mountainous and midland areas.

According to Deputy Duong Van Phuoc, in the process of operating the new government model, there are some places where cadres have not been arranged in a uniform manner according to their expertise, and are not uniform in terms of qualifications, capacity and quantity. The staffing for the commune level has not taken into account factors such as terrain, region, and socio-economic conditions, thus leading to a very stressful workload in many communes.

Delegate Duong Van Phuoc (Da Nang City). Photo: QUANG PHUC

“Commune-level civil servants work under a lot of pressure, working 2-3 times harder, but the policies and regimes have not changed, are still very low, not encouraging and motivating cadres to work with peace of mind and dedication”, Deputy Duong Van Phuoc stated and suggested that the Government soon issue missing guiding documents, amend and supplement overlapping regulations, soon study and issue appropriate policies and mechanisms for commune level, build a clear decentralization, delegation and authorization mechanism, ensuring proactive flexibility for local authorities.

Along with that, Deputy Duong Van Phuoc suggested that the Ministry of Home Affairs soon conduct a survey on the actual construction of job positions and minimum staffing framework to serve as a basis for staffing at the commune level, advise the government to issue appropriate salary mechanisms to encourage commune-level officials and civil servants to feel secure in their work, and attract officials to work in areas with difficult economic conditions.

“The success of the new model depends largely on the coordination between a synchronous legal system with a team of competent and responsible officials, modern technical infrastructure, and modern technology based on a new management mindset. Therefore, it is necessary to strongly shift thinking from administrative management to state governance. This is not simply a change in terminology but a revolution in cultural and institutional thinking,” said Deputy Duong Van Phuoc.

DO TRUNG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/de-nghi-nhanh-chong-co-chinh-sach-ho-tro-can-bo-cap-xa-post820506.html