Merging departments and agencies: How to address the surplus of leadership positions?

Mr. Bui Si Loi: Merging departments is a task that affects people, organizations, the administrative apparatus, and the interests of civil servants.

While agreeing with the proposed government decree currently being reviewed by the Ministry of Interior, which aims to merge several departments with similar functions and responsibilities, most opinions expressed concerns about the restructuring of surplus labor.

There are policies to support redundant workers.

The policy of merging departments is highly appreciated because it helps streamline the organizational structure, strengthen the state management functions across multiple sectors and fields to avoid overlap, and reduce the cumbersome nature of the administrative apparatus.

Mr. Minh Thai from District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, commented: "This is a very positive policy of our Party and State. The Government needs to issue a decision soon to stabilize the operational structure of agencies as well as the mindset of civil servants."

Skillfully managing surplus labor after a merger will prevent instability.

Affirming that this is a correct policy, Mr. Bui Si Loi, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Social Affairs, stated his view: Merging departments is a task that affects people, organizations, the administrative apparatus, and the interests of civil servants, so we must proceed cautiously, openly, and transparently, ensuring high consensus among organizations, officials, civil servants, and state employees. When carrying out mergers, we must base our decisions on the functions, tasks, and organizational structure of the departments as stipulated in the Law on Organization of Local Government to ensure that the right people are assigned to the right jobs.

Regarding the issue of resolving the surplus workforce after the merger of departments, Mr. Bui Si Loi stated that for surplus personnel, we must handle it according to the downsizing plan stipulated by law. The State also needs to have policies to address these outstanding issues, such as early retirement, consolidation into a single agency, or other support policies to help workers find new jobs.

Sharing the same view, Mr. Le Nhu Tien - former Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture, Education, Youth, and Children - said that previous experiences in merging provinces and combining multiple ministries into multi-sectoral ministries such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade... initially faced many difficulties, but with strong political determination, things eventually turned out well.

Labor surplus is inevitable, but it's crucial to carefully assign people to the right jobs, rather than creating a large number of unemployed surplus workers that would cause social unrest. This is a challenge for organizers and managers.

Commenting on this issue, Mr. Nguyen Si Dung, former Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly Office Committee, said that this merger policy is correct, provided that reforms are more comprehensive and widespread throughout the entire system, not just in a few places. At the same time, it is necessary to consider the support of the people and the National Assembly; and to establish a system that operates effectively.

Mr. Dung affirmed that the number of surplus workers would not be too large because even with the merger, there would still be jobs that need to be filled. He added that the real issue lies in streamlining the organizational structure, not just reducing the number of personnel.

Retain the position allowance for leaders.

"The biggest reduction is the reduction in leadership," Mr. Nguyen Si Dung remarked. "Of course, this will inevitably cause some friction. But if we look at it from the perspective that everyone in that position is a Party member, acting according to the Party's assignment, and not necessarily based on the achievements of the person holding that position, then the burden on people's minds will be less heavy."

Affirming that the merger of departments will inevitably lead to a surplus of leaders, Mr. Le Nhu Tien stated: "We must base our decisions on the actual situation, the nature of the work, and the capabilities of each individual to arrange positions and tasks appropriately."

Mr. Bui Si Loi also stated that when merging departments, leadership issues must be addressed effectively. This involves not only personal interests but sometimes the interests of an entire group or unit. If not handled skillfully and satisfactorily, conflicts of interest can lead to disunity within the agency or unit. Therefore, the solution must prioritize the interests of the country, the people, and the collective.

To ensure that each individual agrees, shares, unifies, and sets a good example in implementation, we need to do a good job of political and ideological education, transforming perceptions to create high consensus within the agency or unit.
In addition, this issue can be resolved according to the principle of: Maintaining the position allowance during the reorganization of work to ensure that civil servants' income does not decrease, negatively impacting their family life, so that they can work with peace of mind.

"Although the State 'sacrifices' and suffers a slight loss in terms of salaries and allowances, it ensures consensus and unity, and resolves the living and ideological issues for cadres and Party members. Of course, after a certain period of time, once the work has been arranged and stabilized, they will receive the salary for that work, according to that principle," Mr. Bui Si Loi commented.

According to VOV