The first trade union officials in Nghe An province request early retirement.

In line with the spirit of the Resolution

Immediately following Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW, dated October 25, 2017, of the 6th Conference of the Central Committee of the 12th Party Congress on "Some issues concerning the continued reform and restructuring of the organizational apparatus of the political system."leanFollowing the issuance of the Resolution on "Effective and Efficient Operation," the Nghe An Provincial Trade Union has concretized the documents of the Central Committee and the Provincial Party Standing Committee to promptly, seriously, and thoroughly disseminate the spirit of the Resolution to all cadres and civil servants. This has created a shift in the awareness of cadres and civil servants within the Nghe An Trade Union system, especially regarding the continued reform and restructuring of the political system's organizational apparatus towards a streamlined, effective, and efficient operation, reducing staffing levels in conjunction with restructuring the workforce of cadres and civil servants.

Based on these changes, the streamlining efforts of the Nghe An Trade Union have achieved certain results, ensuring the arrangement and merger of departments in a streamlined and efficient manner, avoiding duplication and overlap, and ensuring that the placement and assignment of officials and civil servants are carried out objectively and democratically, in accordance with their aspirations and capabilities.

In accordance with the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam's regulations on the functions, tasks, organizational structure, and staffing of specialized agencies of the Fatherland Front Committee and political-social organizations at the provincial and district levels, the Provincial Federation of Labor's organizational structure currently comprises six departments: Organization, Finance, Propaganda - Women's Affairs, Policy and Law and Labor Relations, Office, and the Office of the Inspection Committee. In this streamlining process, the Provincial Federation of Labor has reduced one department (the Women's Affairs Department), ensuring each department has one head and one deputy head; the district-level Federations of Labor and industry-level Trade Unions each have one head and one deputy head.

Looking back at the implementation of Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW, Mr. Nguyen Chi Cong – Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial Labor Union, shared: With the determination to strictly implement the Central Committee's policies, regulations, and directions on organizational restructuring, ensuring uniformity in the management of the trade union apparatus from the provincial to the grassroots level, and promoting effectiveness and efficiency in the new situation, the implementation of the downsizing policy has created consensus among cadres, civil servants, and Party members. From this downsizing, the Nghe An Labor Union has drawn necessary lessons for future downsizing efforts.

Accordingly, it is necessary to continue to effectively implement the resolutions, conclusions, regulations, rules, and guidelines of the Central Committee; the plans, action programs, regulations, and directives of the Provincial Party Committee related to personnel work; and to continue to pay attention to the training and fostering of political theory and professional skills for cadres and civil servants. At the same time, strengthen the leadership of Party committees at all levels in personnel planning, ensuring the principles of democratic centralism, continuity, and succession, overcoming the shortage of cadres, and effectively implementing emulation and reward programs to motivate and encourage cadres and civil servants to strive to successfully complete their assigned tasks.

With that spirit, the Nghe An Provincial Trade Union continues to closely follow directives and implement appropriate solutions. Specifically, regarding organization, the number of specialized committees has been reduced by 1 (from 6 committees to 5 committees); the number of industry-level and equivalent trade unions has been reduced by 4 (from 6 higher-level trade unions directly above the grassroots level to 2 higher-level trade unions directly above the grassroots level). Regarding leadership and management positions, the number of committee heads has been reduced by 1 (from 6 committee heads to 5 committee heads); the number of industry trade union chairpersons has been reduced by 4 (from 6 positions to 2 positions); the number of executive committee members has been reduced by 44 (from 78 members to 34 members); the number of standing committee members has been reduced by 15 (from 25 members to 10 members); and the number of inspection committee members has been reduced by 14 (from 24 members to 10 members).

“During this restructuring process, we must adhere to the principles and directives of the Party and the regulations of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor in organizing, streamlining, and reorganizing the apparatus. At the same time, we must promote democracy while strengthening discipline, order, and combating corruption, waste, and negative practices, ensuring smooth and effective trade union operations, and preventing stagnation or a decline in quality due to the restructuring. The principle of restructuring is to ensure synchronized management between the Party and the Trade Union. If a unit has not yet established a Party organization, the restructuring and placement will be based on geographical location, combining the restructuring of the apparatus and personnel with the work of reassignment and rotation,” shared Ms. Phan Thi Trang, Head of the Organization Department of the Provincial Confederation of Labor.

Pioneering spirit

In the early stages of this revolution to reorganize and streamline the political system, many trade union officials understood the importance of the Resolution, supported the Party and State's policies, and proactively requested early retirement to facilitate their work.personnel arrangementadditional advantages.

In the streamlining plan submitted to the Provincial Party Committee, with the current 8 industry-specific trade unions, the Provincial Federation of Labor proposed retaining 2 units: the Southeast Economic Zone Trade Union (due to its important nature and position) and the Education Sector Trade Union (currently implementing a pilot project for restructuring industry-specific trade unions), and dissolving 6 industry-specific and equivalent trade unions (including Industry and Trade, Transport, Agriculture and Rural Development, Construction, Health, and the Civil Servants' Trade Union). Accordingly, 2 higher-level trade unions will be established directly above the grassroots level: the Trade Union of Party and mass organization agencies, the People's Council, and the Justice Department at the provincial level, and the Trade Union of the Provincial People's Committee.

Upon learning of the proposed restructuring plan, the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Health Sector Trade Union simultaneously volunteered for early retirement to facilitate the streamlining process. Notably, both are dedicated and responsible trade union officials who have achieved remarkable accomplishments during their careers.

"I believe the Party's policy of streamlining is absolutely correct. As a Party member and a leader in management, I have a responsibility to be a pioneer and role model in implementing it. This will both facilitate the Provincial Labor Union's arrangement and placement of cadres, create opportunities for young people to contribute, and give myself a chance to rest," shared Ms. Tran Thi Thu Ha, President of the Nghe An Health Sector Trade Union. In her 31 years of service, Ms. Ha is known as a dedicated and responsible trade union official who loves her profession and is committed to her work. She has consistently been rated as an outstanding performer and has received numerous commendations and awards from various levels.

Sharing her decision, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuong Huyen – Vice President of the Health Sector Trade Union – said: “Although I am passionate about my work, I must admit that I cannot be as creative, technologically savvy, or enthusiastic as younger people. Trade union work in particular, and movements in general, require these qualities. So, it's better for us older members to make way for the younger generation to contribute, firstly for the common good, and secondly for ourselves. Given our personalities, if we retire, we will continue to work and contribute in a job, position, and environment that better suits our abilities.”

Sharing the same viewpoint, Ms. Ho Thi Dong, a specialist in the Organization Department of the Provincial Labor Union, was the first member of the Union to volunteer for early retirement. Ms. Dong shared: “A young person can work three times more productively than an older person, while an older person's salary is three times higher than a young person's. I believe that my decision to retire early is a decision that benefits both the country and the family, supporting national policies while giving myself more time to rest with a reasonable retirement allowance.” This is not the first time Ms. Dong has decided to “step back” to give opportunities to younger people. Previously, in 2018, Ms. Dong surprised many when she stated that she was not suitable for a leadership position and refused the position of Head of Department to dedicate herself entirely to her role as a specialist.