Lesson 1: Violations of labor regulations

(Baonghean) - In mid-July, through the hotline, Nghe An Newspaper received information that: In the past few years, many serious violations have occurred in Thanh Son border commune, Thanh Chuong district. Some commune officials have expressed their frustration and submitted petitions requesting the authorities to clarify the matter...

On May 12, 2013, 11 key officials of Thanh Son commune submitted a petition to the authorities, including: Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee Luong Thai Tam, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee Vi Trong Thuy, Head of the Commune Police Lo Van Mao, Vice Chairman of the People's Council Lo Van Tuyen, Chairman of the Veterans Association Luong Van Toa, Commune Militia Commander Lu Van Duong, Secretary of the Commune Youth Union Lo Van Nguyen, Head of the Agriculture Department Luong Duc Thong, office staff member of the People's Committee Luong Van Ty, and two judicial officers Luong Hoang Canh and Luong Van Hien.

The petition states: Over the years, when distributing salaries, the commune's finance department has consistently deducted the social insurance and health insurance contributions for each official. However, to this day, many officials in Thanh Son commune still do not have social insurance books or health insurance cards. The distribution of salaries to officials and allowances to the people is frequently delayed by more than a month. Some months there is a shortage of funds, and those who arrive late are told by the treasurer that the money has run out and they must wait until the following month to receive their payments. Some commune officials and specialists who received salary increases in 2011 have still not received their payments as of December 2012.

When directly asked the chief accountant, the response was: The district has not yet allocated funds, so the commune does not have money to pay. The retroactive allowances for militia members for January, February, and March 2012, up to 2013, have still not been received. When asked, the chief accountant said they would receive it the following month, but to this day, the payment has not been made. The chief accountant only comes to the office 3-4 times a year. When departments, agencies, and organizations want to resolve related issues, they have to go to the chief accountant's private residence...

Officials and civil servants in Thanh Son commune speak out about the violation of their rights.

At the Thanh Son commune headquarters, most of the officials mentioned above openly expressed their pent-up frustrations during the interview with the reporter. According to them, Thanh Son commune was established in June 2009 with most of the officials and residents from Huu Duong and Kim Da communes (Tuong Duong district) being relocated. Initially, the workload was heavy, so no one paid attention to the relevant benefits. However, when these benefits were not implemented, everyone reminded the chief accountant, Pham Van Lan, who replied that they would be addressed later, but nothing was done. Monthly salaries were delayed, back pay was not disbursed, and social insurance and health insurance benefits were unavailable. Because of these numerous irregularities, they raised the issue at Party Committee, People's Committee, and Trade Union meetings, but only received empty promises from the Chairman of the People's Committee and the chief accountant. Therefore, they had to appeal to higher authorities for consideration and resolution.

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Son commune, Vi Trong Thuy, said: "I have high blood pressure and malaria and have to go to the hospital, but I don't have health insurance. When I asked the chief accountant, I was told that the Social Insurance records from Tuong Duong district had not yet been transferred (Mr. Thuy was formerly the cultural officer of Huu Duong commune, Tuong Duong district). When I asked the Social Insurance agency in Tuong Duong district, they said they had transferred them to Thanh Chuong. When I went down to the Social Insurance agency in Thanh Chuong district, it turned out that the commune had not yet transferred the list and paid the fees to them to implement the insurance benefits for the commune's officials and specialists..."

Minutes of the inspection of the issuance of social insurance books by the Thanh Chuong Social Insurance agency.
in Thanh Son commune

Mr. Lo Van Mao, the head of the commune's police force, frequently faces numerous difficulties and hardships, sometimes even life-threatening situations, yet he has not received his insurance benefits. Mr. Mao expressed his frustration: "Honestly, I don't understand it anymore. The state's policies are very clear. Every month, the accountant and treasurer deduct the insurance contributions, but there are no insurance books or cards for the officers. When asked, the chief accountant says there's an oversight and that it will be added later. We talked among ourselves, and it turned out everyone was also overlooked. The district's Social Insurance office said the commune hasn't transferred the list or the funds... So where did the funds we paid over the past few years go?" Even Mr. Lo Van Tuyen, the "leader" of the commune's labor union and Vice Chairman of the People's Council, has not received his insurance benefits. Mr. Tuyen said: "We've raised this issue many times, but we only receive promises from the Chairman and the chief accountant. I myself share the same fate..."

Mr. Luong Thai Tam, Standing Committee member of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee of Thanh Son commune, stated: "The reason this problem occurred in Thanh Son is because the Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Son commune, Vi Thanh Vien, and the chief accountant, Pham Van Lan, are still maintaining the working style they had in Kim Da commune! (Mr. Vien and Mr. Lan were formerly the Chairman and chief accountant of Kim Da commune, Tuong Duong district). Previously, I was also an official of Kim Da commune and paid my contributions since 2004, but to this day I have not been issued a social insurance book or health insurance card…"

Working with the Social Insurance agency of Thanh Chuong district, it was learned that this unit had previously urged the review and implementation of insurance benefits for the workers under its management, but Thanh Son commune failed to comply. On March 12, 2013, the Thanh Chuong Social Insurance agency inspected the issuance of social insurance books and the settlement of benefits for civil servants in Thanh Son commune. Out of a total of 25 civil servants in the commune, 8 still had not participated in social insurance; 3 had participated in social insurance and health insurance but had not been issued social insurance books and cards due to incomplete documentation.

Mr. Nguyen Ba Tinh, a specialist in charge of commune and ward affairs at the Thanh Chuong Social Insurance agency, said: "Besides their salaries and allowances, commune officials and civil servants also receive partial financial support for various types of insurance contributions. The fact that Thanh Son commune has not implemented insurance schemes for its officials and specialists has affected the legitimate rights of employees and seriously violated legal regulations..." Mr. Tinh added: "Currently, we have compiled a list and relevant documents of these officials and civil servants and sent them to the provincial Social Insurance agency for approval. After the provincial Social Insurance agency agrees and Thanh Son commune pays the full amount, these officials and civil servants will receive their social insurance books and health insurance cards in a short time..."

The Social Insurance agency of Thanh Chuong district has taken the necessary steps to ensure that civil servants in Thanh Son commune participate in social insurance and health insurance, but the problem is where will the funds for the contributions for the past four years come from?

Reporter Team (to be continued)