Heartbreaking resignation letters of forest rangers in Nghe An

30 years, never received a full month's salary

This is the bitter confession in the resignation letter dated November 25, 2022 of Mr. Nguyen Duy Thanh (born in 1969), an officer.Thanh Chuong Protective Forest Management Board, on duty to protect forests in Thanh Son border commune, sent to the Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Board leaders.

A forest patrol by officers and staff of Thanh Chuong Forest Protection Management Board. Photo: Contributor

Mr. Nguyen Duy Thanh wrote: "I have worked at Thanh Chuong Forestry Enterprise since 1989, now the Thanh Chuong Protective Forest Management Board. I have been working in the forestry industry for more than 30 years, mainly performing the task of forest management and protection. Over the past 30 years, I have always completed my tasks well. I feel that the policy mechanism for forest rangers is too harsh. In more than 30 years of work, I have never received a full month's salary.

Dear leaders of departments, agencies, and branches. The task of protecting forests is extremely heavy and difficult, and the salary paid by the system is not enough to cover the living expenses for the person doing the task, not to mention helping his family and children. So I am writing this application hoping that you will consider and resolve the issue so that I can take time off to pay insurance for the remaining years until I reach retirement age according to the regime...".

Resignation letter of Mr. Nguyen Duy Thanh, Rai Rai Forest Protection Management Station (Thanh Son Commune, Thanh Chuong). Photo: Contributor

Also in November 2022, along with the application of Mr. Nguyen Duy Thanh, Thanh Chuong Protective Forest Management Board also received resignation applications from Mr. Dang Quoc Tien, Nguyen Truong Giang, Nguyen Dinh Tue, Le Van Tu... And similar to Mr. Nguyen Duy Thanh, the reason for resignation of those working in forest protection in the difficult border area of ​​Thanh Chuong district is also because the salary policy has too many shortcomings.

Mr. Dang Quoc Tien (born 1972), an employee of Hoa Quan Forest Protection Station, Ngoc Lam border commune, wrote:“I am currently an employee of the Hoa Quan Forest Protection Management Station. The work is extremely hard, the roads are difficult to travel. The pressure of work, in addition to managing protective forests, is facing complex difficulties in managing production forests. Because the area is a resettlement area for ethnic minorities, in the management work to prevent encroachment and cutting down, we are forced to travel a lot, while market prices fluctuate and increase.

While we are trying to complete our tasks well, our salaries are meager, and we have not even received our 2022 salaries. If we continue to work, we cannot live in fear and wait. So I am writing this application to request a temporary leave of absence. When the State pays my full salary, I will continue working…”.

Resignation letters of Nguyen Truong Giang and Nguyen Dinh Tue (Thanh Chuong Forest Protection Management Board). Photo: Contributor

Not only in Thanh Chuong district, but also in Con Cuong district, forest rangers are frustrated with their profession, and some have asked to leave. On July 28, 2021, Mr. Vo Van Quyet - an employee of Lang Khe Forest Protection Management Station (Con Cuong Forest Protection Management Board) wrote:“I would like to resign from the Con Cuong Forest Protection Management Board from July 31, 2021. The reason is that recently I have noticed that the State's forest protection and management policies have been inadequate, which has affected my monthly salary (as well as other labor contract employees). The salary is not paid on time, which greatly affects family life. So I discussed with my family and agreed to resign from the Con Cuong Forest Protection Management Board to apply for a job at Hoang Long Construction and Trading Joint Stock Company, which is closer to home and has a more stable economic life…”.

Tan Ky Forest Protection Management Board is also one of the forestry units with a large number of people resigning (16 people). Bach Tien Bao (born in 1988), an employee of Khe La Forest Protection Management Station, submitted a resignation letter on March 27, 2022. He wrote: “Due to family circumstances, I have to return to my hometown to resolve family matters and stabilize my life. Therefore, I wish to resign to return to my hometown to work and live. So I am writing this letter to respectfully request the leadership of Tan Ky Forest Protection Management Board to allow me to resign…”.

“Hope the one who stays is better…”

Mr. Nguyen Duy Thanh, an officer at Rai Rai Forest Protection Station, spoke with reporters about writing a resignation letter. Photo: Nhat Lan

Contacting and discussing with Nguyen Duy Thanh, he said that after more than 30 years of pursuing the forestry profession, it is normal to ask for early retirement a few years to wait for the day to receive retirement benefits according to regulations. However, this 55-year-old man said that he felt the need to speak out about the shortcomings because he hoped that the forest protection policy would change, hoping that those who remained would have better things, because otherwise "the forestry profession would only have people leaving, no one coming in".

Khe Suong Forest Protection Management Station (Thanh Duc Commune, Thanh Chuong) is still a temporary residence, without electricity or clean water. Photo: Contributor

Rai Rai Forest Protection Management Station (Binh Yen village, Thanh Son commune) where Nguyen Duy Thanh works is responsible for protecting nearly 1,400 hectares of border forest, but only consists of 2 people. Thanh's family lives in Thanh Phong commune, only about 40km from the station. But because of the nature of his work, because the station has few people, he rarely gets to return home to his family. He explained the information in the application "30 years without receiving a full monthly salary"that, since starting work until now, it has been more than 30 years but not once has the monthly salary been paid to workers according to regulations. Especially since the Forestry Department was converted into the Forest Protection Management Board, every year it takes 6-7 months, sometimes up to 10 months for workers to receive an advance salary. As in 2020, workers did not even receive their full salary.

Forest protection is a very hard job, and there are no other benefits. Working in the same border area, the forest rangers and educators have regional allowances, while the full-time forest guards, who are often close to the border, do not have any support system.For me, after more than 30 years of working, I received a salary of more than 6 million VND/month. But like this year, the salary regime has only been paid for 3 quarters, but it is only an advance of 70% of the salary. Paying salary like that is difficult to cover yourself, let alone support your family. While society has changed a lot, our forestry profession not only suffers but also endures unreasonable things. Sometimes we cannot even get medical examinations because we have not paid social insurance. The insurance agency does not know that we do not owe insurance, but the State has not paid yet so the Board has not had money to pay. The truth is that if there is no change, the forestry profession will only have people leaving but no people coming in..." - Mr. Thanh confided.

Officers and staff of Thanh Chuong Forest Protection Management Board during a forest patrol. Photo: Contributor

Then he confided that nowadays other professions are getting a lot of attention. Every profession on its traditional day is encouraged in one form or another, but the forest protection profession has nothing, making everyone feel very sad. Then he wondered: Society has many innovations, why is there no innovation in the forestry profession? Why does this miserable situation continue?

And he said sourly: "The Board's leaders have encouraged those who have submitted resignation applications that they are petitioning the competent authorities to consider building a support policy for forest rangers. Moreover, it is almost Lunar New Year so we should wait a little longer. We are hopeful when we hear that, but if there is no change, we will have to resign from paying insurance at the beginning of next year to find another job, and when we reach retirement age, we will retire according to the regime...".

Nhat Lan