Difficult "output" for grassroots union cadres

(Baonghean) -Decision No. 289-QD/T.Ư dated February 8, 2010 of the Central Youth Union Secretariat stipulates the standards for commune and town-level youth union cadres holding positions not exceeding 35 years of age. Compared with this regulation, according to preliminary statistics of the provincial youth union, the whole province has about 70 over-age youth union leaders who have not yet been transferred to other jobs, most of whom have worked for over 10 years...

Many group leadersover age

Hung Nguyen is one of the districts with the highest proportion of over-age grassroots union cadres at present. The whole district currently has 13/23 commune union secretaries aged 35-43, of which 4/13 have university degrees, 9/13 have intermediate degrees. Regarding political theory, 5/13 have intermediate degrees, 8/13 have elementary degrees. After decades of dedication, most of the older union cadres want to be transferred to another more suitable position.

Born in 1970, having grown up as a village youth union secretary, with nearly 15 years of experience in youth work and currently one of the oldest youth union cadres, Mr. Hoa Van Hoa - Member of the Party Committee, Secretary of the Youth Union of Hung Nhan commune shared: "Although the passion and enthusiasm are still the same as before, the dynamism and initiative cannot be compared to the younger generation. I really hope to move to a job that is suitable for my age and also to make room for young people to take on the job, both to motivate them to strive and to improve the quality of youth union work and the youth movement in the locality". Like Mr. Hoa, Mr. Le Thanh Dong in Hung My commune, born in 1971, due to not having a suitable position to rotate, althoughAlthough he is over the legal age, he still has to take on the job of a grassroots youth union secretary.

Mr. Hoa Van Hoa - Secretary of Hung Nhan Commune Youth Union, talks with officials of Hung Nguyen District Youth Union

Not only in the plain districts but also in some mountainous districts, where the age limit for union cadres has been relaxed to 37, they are also in a similar situation of "no outlet". Ms. Xa Thi Xi - Secretary of the Ky Son District Union said: Except for the case of Mr. Lau Nhia Ho in Muong Long commune who has just been transferred to the position of Vice Chairman of the Commune Farmers' Association, there are currently 6 union cadres in the district who are over the age limit, including 1 member of the District Union Executive Committee. A typical example is Mr. Luong Van Chan - Secretary of the Nam Can Commune Union, Ky Son District, born in 1972, who has been involved in union work for more than ten years. Now his eldest child is in high school but his father is still a "comrade of the union". Thanh Chuong district also has 6 over-age union cadres of the 7X generation, including those who have devoted themselves for many years and have excellently fulfilled their duties as union leaders, recognized by all levels, such as Mr. Hoang Trong Hung - Secretary of the Thanh Nho commune Youth Union, Mr. Tran Van Huu - Secretary of the Dong Van commune Youth Union...

Currently, some union officials have been restructured but they have to wait another year or two when the person in that position retires or until the end of 2015 when the term ends and the party congresses at all levels are held to resolve the issue. Among the union secretaries who are over the age limit and have not been assigned new jobs, there are still people who are capable of handling the job, but there are also many who cannot overcome the "inertia" of age, making it difficult to gather and attract union members in the localities. In addition, the gap with the current generation of 9X union members is quite large, making it difficult for them to find a common voice.

Talking to us, many district youth union secretaries expressed their concern, because according to Regulation 289 of the Central Youth Union with the requirement to rejuvenate and standardize the youth union cadre team, if the output problem for the current number of over-age youth union cadres is not resolved soon, it will lead to the phenomenon of "congestion", making it difficult for those who will be promoted to become the next leaders. Mr. Cao Anh Duc - Secretary of Hung Nguyen District Youth Union said: In the past time, the youth organization has actively advised and proposed to the Party Committee to solve the output for over-age youth union cadres, the district Party Committee also issued Official Letter No. 606 on grassroots youth union cadre work to direct and assign responsibilities to the internal affairs department and localities to pay attention to transferring jobs to youth union secretaries of communes and towns. In fact, in the past, a number of union cadres have been transferred to civil servant positions suitable for their professional qualifications and some other positions such as: Commune Military Commander, Vice President of the Farmers' Association, President of the Front... However, currently there are still 13 union cadres who are over the age limit and have not been transferred to work, hindering the implementation of the goal of rejuvenating and improving the quality of grassroots union cadres.

The reason is that the number of commune-level staff is limited, while the positions in the commune's operating apparatus are full, and to arrange them, one must wait for someone to retire or wait for a vacant position to "replace". On the other hand, the "input" quality of grassroots union cadres in many places is still low because the selection of union cadres is mainly based on enthusiasm and dynamism, not paying attention to professional qualifications. During the working process, they have not arranged time to study and improve their qualifications to meet the criteria for the position of civil servant in the commune, ward or town, so they lose the opportunity to be transferred, assigned to another position or to be considered for recruitment and civil servant examinations.

Currently, according to regulations, to become a professional civil servant of the commune, one must pass an exam. Even if they get extra points, the secretaries of the commune Youth Union who are over age, mainly those who have studied at intermediate level or in-service, want to surpass the young students who have just graduated from formal training, it is very difficult, unless they are considered for recruitment. Many opinions say that with the current rapid rotation by age, it is certainly very difficult for the Youth Union cadres to have a "safe" output. Because, if the structure is too young, some localities will not have enough personnel to meet the requirements of the work tasks; on the contrary, if the age is just right, they may have to be rotated after one term, while the quota in the commune is limited, there is not always room to "reserve" output for Youth Union cadres.

"Input" recruitmentto solve the "output" problem?

Mr. Hoang Van Phi - Secretary of Hung Nguyen District Party Committee said that to solve the problem of output for the current over-age youth union cadres, the district has identified solutions, specifically: Those with professional qualifications suitable for commune civil servant positions, with capacity, will be considered for recruitment or recruited for these positions (for units with vacant civil servant positions). For those with professional and political qualifications that meet the requirements, at the time of work there is no suitable position, the Party Committee Standing Committee will be assigned to orient the structure into key positions of unions or specialized cadre positions when the congress term comes, but not later than 2015.

According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hung - Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union: Rejuvenation is a necessary task to consolidate and improve the quality of the Youth Union at all levels, both to meet the practical requirements of cadre work in the new situation and to suit the psychology of young people. However, to "rejuvenate", first of all, we must solve the output for the Youth Union cadres. In this matter, the Youth Union only plays an advisory role. It is important that local leaders clearly identify that the Youth Union cadres must be in the planning category, because this is a source of supplementing key cadres at the grassroots level. In reality, many leaders of departments, branches, and unions from the grassroots to the provincial level, leaders of districts, cities, and towns are from Youth Union cadres. Therefore, this planning needs to be carried out regularly and not wait until the end of a congress term. Rejuvenating the youth union cadres means enhancing the Party's responsibility in training the next generation of cadres who are capable of shouldering the responsibilities assigned by the Party Committee and the government, avoiding the situation of suspended planning and formal planning that affects the spirit and motivation of the youth union cadres.

A comrade party secretary of the commune who was formerly a youth leader said: Most of the union cadres at the commune and mayor levels are formed from grassroots movements and have not received any professional or political training. Therefore, selecting, training, and fostering their qualities and abilities right from the start is the solution to the output problem for current union cadres at the grassroots level. If they intend to become professional civil servants in the future, they should be oriented to study professions that are close to the actual needs of the locality. If they follow the direction of becoming full-time officials through elections and are introduced by the party to run for election, then during the working process, union cadres must "grow up" by their own real abilities, constantly improve their professional qualifications and political qualities, dare to think, dare to do, and know how to express themselves at the right time to be recognized by the collective, trusted, and build trust with everyone through practice. In other words, union cadres must plan for themselves in advance by promoting their youth, dynamism and ability to quickly approach work, and try their hand in different fields, otherwise the current refrain of "output difficulties" will continue to repeat itself.

Many opinions say that the reason for the difficulty of “output” for union cadres is partly due to low “input”. Therefore, in order to meet the requirements of rejuvenation and ensure output, we should boldly recruit university graduates, prioritizing majors close to youth work to become commune union secretaries, and have a direction to help them mature through the process of practical experience to create a source of quality cadres for the grassroots.

Article and photos:Khanh Ly