Nghe An Department of Home Affairs proposes solution to deal with nearly 800 redundant commune-level officials and civil servants

Comrade Cao Thi Hien - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council chaired the discussion session at the hall. Photo: Thanh Cuong

According to delegate Le Dinh Ly - Director of the Department of Home Affairs, 3 years ago, in anticipation of policies on streamlining the payroll, the Department of Home Affairs had a policy of "closing the door" to localities in recruiting commune-level civil servants. However, currently, through the implementation of policies on rearranging commune-level administrative units, the policy of bringing regular police to communes and implementing Decree No. 34/2019/ND-CP of the Government (compared to Decree 92/2009/ND-CP, each commune, ward and town reduces 2 cadres and civil servants); the whole province still has a surplus of 784 cadres and civil servants.

To resolve the surplus of cadres and civil servants, on the basis of the advice of the Department of Home Affairs, on May 5, 2020, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued Official Dispatch No. 2714, which prioritizes the arrangement of civil servant positions to cadre positions in places where there are vacancies associated with the completion of personnel of organizations in the political system on the occasion of the Party Congresses at all levels 2020 - 2025 (not introducing and electing positions of non-professional workers in communes with surplus civil servants according to Decree No. 34/2019/ND-CP); at the same time, continue to temporarily suspend the recruitment of commune-level civil servants, and arrange, assign and transfer civil servants to civil servant positions in each commune and town according to Decree No. 34/2019/ND-CP in order to gradually reduce cadres and civil servants according to the roadmap prescribed in Decree No. 34/2019/ND-CP.

Director of the Department of Home Affairs Le Dinh Ly explains and clarifies the shortcomings in the arrangement of redundant cadres and civil servants. Photo: Thanh Cuong

The Director of the Department of Home Affairs also admitted that the arrangement, assignment, and transfer of surplus cadres and civil servants to the positions of civil servants lacking within each commune and town in practice is currently posing some shortcomings due to being out of line with the industry and profession. For example, the position of commune police chief who was trained at intermediate police or intermediate security level is transferred to the position of judicial civil servant or statistical office.

The Director of the Department of Home Affairs also affirmed that currently, due to the surplus of cadres and civil servants, it is impossible to recruit new civil servants. Therefore, the solution to this problem is that localities need to pay attention to creating conditions for cadres and civil servants to attend long-term and short-term professional training and development to achieve the common goal of gradually reducing cadres and civil servants according to the roadmap.

Director of the Department of Home Affairs Le Dinh Ly also said that handling redundant cadres and civil servants requires time, implementing a roadmap to gradually reduce according to the time set by the Central Government; at the same time, he suggested that local authorities need to promote their role and responsibility in handling the problem of redundant cadres and civil servants.

Many opinions suggest that it is necessary to pay attention to handling redundant officials and civil servants in a scientific and effective manner. Photo: Mai Hoa

In addition to the above issue, the Director of the Department of Home Affairs also clarified why the person holding the position of Party Secretary while concurrently holding the position of Chairman of the Commune People's Council was not entitled to the allowance as before.

Specifically, in Article 10, Decree No. 34/2019/ND-CP clearly stipulates the allowance for holding concurrent positions. For commune-level cadres and civil servants holding concurrent positions, if one person is reduced from the maximum number prescribed in Decree No. 34 (23 people for type 1 communes, 21 people for type 2 communes, 19 people for type 3 communes), from the date the competent authority decides on the concurrent position, they will receive a concurrent allowance of 50% of the salary (level 1), plus the leadership position allowance (if any) of the concurrent position.

In cases where a person holds multiple positions concurrently (including cases where the Party Secretary is also the Chairman of the People's Committee, or the Party Secretary is also the Chairman of the People's Council), he or she will only receive one concurrent allowance.

And in reality, in communes, wards and towns in the area, the number of cadres and civil servants has not met the regulations according to Decree No. 34/2019/ND-CP, so the position of Party Secretary of the commune concurrently holding the position of Chairman of the People's Council of the commune is not entitled to the concurrent regime as before.