Many teachers and contract employees in Nghe An have had their salaries stopped?
(Baonghean.vn) - Dozens of teachers and contract employees of schools in Quynh Luu district were denied salary for the last month before the Lunar New Year holiday. Some of them resigned, affecting the work of the entire school.
Teaching... "for free"?
For about a week now, teacher Ho Anh Dung (45 years old, residing in Quynh Hau commune, Quynh Luu district) has been very disappointed since the school accountant announced that cases like his will not be paid from January 2024. However, teacher Dung still tries to teach regularly, trying to hide his sadness every time he goes to class with his students.
Our contract teachers’ salaries were already low, and they were cut so close to Tet. Everyone’s mood was very bad. So in January 2024, we were teaching for free, working but not getting paid.
After graduating from Can Tho University in 2006, Mr. Dung returned to his hometown and was signed a teaching contract with Quynh Tan Secondary School. In 2008, after a period of hard work, he was recruited by the People's Committee of Quynh Luu district under a contract with social insurance. Despite his low salary, with his passion for teaching, Mr. Dung did not give up, waiting for the day he would be recognized and be on the payroll. However, from one recruitment period to another, Mr. Dung was still only a contract teacher of the district.
“In 2008, my salary was about 1 million VND/month, then gradually increased to more than 3 million VND. My wife is also just a commune civil servant, her income is low so she has to be very frugal to make ends meet,” said Mr. Dung. By 2023, the salary of teachers like Mr. Dung was adjusted by region, increased to 4.9 million VND. However, that joy only lasted exactly 1 year.
According to Mr. Dung, if nothing changes, next week he and some others will...contract teachersotherwise, will quit. "No one ever works for free," said Mr. Dung.
In addition to Mr. Dung, there are 8 other cases in Quynh Luu district, including teacher Nguyen Thi Linh (41 years old), currently a Literature teacher at Ba Ngoc Secondary School. Ms. Linh said that about a week ago, when it was time to receive her salary, she was shocked to receive news from the school's accountant that contract teachers like her would not be approved for salary payment for January 2024. Since then, every time she picked up a piece of chalk to write on the board, Ms. Linh's hands became heavy.
Teacher Linh graduated from Vinh University in 2006, then returned to her hometown to work as a contract teacher, hoping to one day be on the payroll. In 2009, she married a man in Vinh City. Although the distance to school was further, she still did not give up teaching. Every morning she had to wake up at 4am, take the bus or ride a motorbike nearly 70km to work at school, and then return home to Vinh City in the evening. "My husband is in the army, working far away, so I have to go home to Vinh City every day," said Ms. Linh. Seeing his wife's hardship, in recent years, her husband discussed and borrowed money to buy a small car for her to travel. However, with a salary of just over 3 million VND, which has just been raised to 4.9 million VND since the beginning of 2023, it is not enough to cover the cost of gas for the distance to teach every day.
Even though I knew that teaching was a low salary, many people advised me to quit, but I still stuck with it, hoping to get a permanent position. But after 18 years of waiting, I still didn't see any results... On top of that, now I'm not getting paid, everyone feels sorry for me. Many days after leaving school, I burst into tears, thinking about my colleagues who are all settled.
According to the reporter's investigation, in Quynh Luu district, there are currently 9 contract teachers at the junior high school level. They all graduated from the pedagogical university and were recruited by the People's Committee of Quynh Luu district to teach and pay social insurance. Up to now, the person with the longest working time is 18 years, the least is 12 years. During their work, they have all completed their assigned tasks well and have made professional contributions that have been recognized by parents, students, colleagues and superiors. They have only received a salary of 4.9 million VND/month (due to receiving regional salary) since January 1, 2023. Before that, they only received a salary with a coefficient of 1.78 (the salary received is 85% of the college level); seniority allowances are not calculated, and salary increases are not allowed according to the current salary policy of the State.
For many years now, every time there is a new teacher recruitment period, these people have submitted applications hoping to be considered. Most recently, in October 2023, when they learned that the Provincial People's Committee had decided to add staff, including 13 staffing quotas for the Quynh Luu district secondary school level, they sent an application "sincerely requesting consideration" for recruitment into the staff, because they all had worked for many years. But it was still not accepted.
Quit due to unpaid leave
Not only the 9 teachers mentioned above, 15 contract employees at schools in Quynh Luu district are also in the same situation. They are accountants and library equipment staff. These people were all signed contracts by the People's Committee of Quynh Luu district to work for 10 years or more. More than a year ago, their income was raised to 3.6 million VND/month, after the district adjusted and raised their salaries according to the regional minimum wage. This is the first time these 15 people have received a salary increase since signing the contract with the district. Previously, regardless of their qualifications or seniority, they all had to receive a salary with a coefficient of 1.4, which means they only received a little over 2.1 million VND per month. After deducting expenses such as insurance, some people only received about 1.5 million VND per month.
To pursue their dream of becoming a public servant, they have to do many extra jobs. Some people take advantage of their lunchtime or after work to sell fish, others take advantage of weekends to sell shoes, others sell online...
On the morning of January 19, 2024, she received information from the State Treasury of Quynh Luu district that teachers and contract employees like her would no longer be paid. So this January, we were not paid, working for free. If they refused to pay us, I also refused to continue working.
On the evening of January 19, 2024, Ms. Van sent a notice to the school about her temporary leave. In the notice, to ensure the rights and benefits of employees, Ms. Van requested the Principal and the Chairman of the grassroots Trade Union to make a proposal to the People's Committee of Quynh Luu district. "During the waiting period, I would like to not perform the assigned tasks and stop working at the unit because no one works for free," Ms. Van's notice to the school stated. Not only Ms. Van, many other cases are also intending to quit their jobs because they are not paid.
In the district, there are 24 contract staff and teachers at schools whose salaries have not been approved since January 2024. The reason is that the number of contracts that the Provincial People's Committee assigned in 2024 exceeded. "These are contracts left over from history, and the State Treasury of Quynh Luu district has stopped paying, waiting for the opinion of the Provincial People's Committee.
According to Mr. Thuong, the District People's Committee's viewpoint is to propose continuing to pay salaries for these cases. "In the face of the situation where some accountants have asked to resign, the District People's Committee has proactively made a plan to arrange for accountants to hold concurrent positions in many schools to ensure work. Regarding the future of these people, it is also impossible to promise in advance. Maybe in the coming years, if there are quotas, priority will be given to special recruitment," Mr. Thuong added.
Mr. Truong Xuan Nho - Director of the State Treasury of Quynh Luu district said that the unit followed the regulations because these people were not on the approved list. "If we make wrong payments now, we will have to take them back later, so we have to temporarily stop and wait for instructions. I myself feel guilty because it is near Tet, these people have low income, and it is a pity for them not to have their salaries paid yet. But we have to follow the regulations," Mr. Nho said./.
