Workers' thoughts on wage reform

Mr. Nguyen Cong Danh - Chairman of Nghe An Civil Servants' Trade Union:

Salary should be based on job position and staff capacity.

Having frequent contact with union members and workers in affiliated grassroots unions, I have heard many thoughts and shares related to the inadequacies of salary policies. Accordingly, the current salary policy is equalizing, not based on ability and job position.

A typical example of this is that the actual salary of a leader is lower than that of a specialist in the same unit. The reason for this inconsistency is because the specialist has more seniority. Similarly, with the same seniority, leaders and employees have the same salary and the allowance for leaders is very low. This is not proportional, because clearly the leadership position requires higher intelligence, capacity and responsibility.

I think,wage policy reformIt is also necessary to simultaneously innovate in personnel work, to impartially select capable, qualified, and dedicated people to take on important positions and give them a commensurate income. Equalizing salaries will greatly limit the motivation to improve and the spirit of dedication of workers.

In addition, the current salary level of the Party and mass organizations is also very low, while they only live on their salaries without any other source of income. With low salaries, many people will have the mindset of "one foot in, one foot out", reducing their diligence in professional tasks, and being easily bribed for economic benefits.

Ms. Tran Thi Thu Ha - Chairwoman of the Health Sector Trade Union

Raise salaries to retain good people

General situation ofhealth sectorIn recent years, good doctors have moved out to work or been invited to work for private facilities, especially after the Covid-19 outbreak. Among the many reasons affecting this situation, the salary issue is probably the biggest reason.

Everyone knows that training a doctor takes a lot of time and effort. For a general practitioner, at least 6 years of formal training at school and 18 months of practice after graduating from university. For a specialist, it takes another 2 years to practice. In addition, this team must continuously study for additional certificates, update new knowledge, participate in research, postgraduate programs, etc.

At work, the pressure of this profession is also very high, requiring high responsibility and capacity. If the salary of the medical team is ranked equal to the professional titles of university level in other fields, it is not appropriate.

With the unfair salary calculation, when forced to choose a place to work, many good doctors and nurses have to choose the private environment to ensure their lives. Private hospitals are willing to pay good doctors 3-5 times higher salaries than public hospitals. Those who stay, in many cases, have to accept a life of hand-to-mouth, living in cramped, damp houses. I hope that the salary reform policy will have appropriate adjustments to overcome the current shortcomings and limitations.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Son - Cultural officer of Thai Son commune (Do Luong):

Don't let civil servants struggle with low salaries

My current income is 5.7 million VND, including public service allowance. My wife works as a school librarian with a salary of more than 3 million VND. The total monthly income of the couple is around 8-9 million VND, which is extremely tight when having to raise 2 children to study. Although the basic salary of 1.8 million VND/month is a leap compared to before, with the current "skyrocketing" market prices, it is still very difficult to save money and ensure a living.

Another difficult situation is the concurrent holding of officials.officercommune level. Currently, this team is undertaking many tasks at the same time, from culture - sports to war invalids - social affairs, from health to education, insurance... Not to mention, the nature of these tasks is very different, some require sitting in one place to research, requiring meticulousness, some require a lot of travel, requiring enthusiasm. The differences and overlaps in these tasks not only affect the quality of expertise but also create great pressure for those in charge. If we do not go early and come home late, bringing work home, we cannot complete that huge amount of work.

Given that situation, I hope that policymakers will pay attention to the assignment of work to commune-level officials and civil servants. If they still have to hold multiple positions, there must be a concurrent position system based on the number of tasks, corresponding to an appropriate income level.

Meritorious Artist Ho Van Thong – Nghe An Folk Song Troupe

There should be separate policies for specific industries.

The culture - arts, physical education and sports sector in general has its own characteristics compared to other sectors, however, there is no separate policy for these sectors. For example, in the arts sector, the age limit will come, there will come a time when we can no longer sing, dance or perform. At that time, it will be difficult to change to another career. Most people graduate from secondary school, the highest salary coefficient is only 4.06, even if they dedicate their whole life, the salary after retirement will not be enough to live on, even in leadership positions. If it were not for passion, if it were not for love of the profession, we would not be able to accept staying with that income. However, even if we stayed, many people would not be able to concentrate and be wholehearted because they are busy working extra jobs to cover their living expenses.

It is gratifying that the province’s recent policies have provided specific support to encourage artists with achievements. However, salaries and support levels are still far from living standards and market prices, and are unable to attract and retain talents in the next generation.

Furthermore, Vi and Giam folk songs are intangible heritages that are mainly preserved through clubs and the role of clubs in preserving folk culture is very important. However, there is currently no salary policy or regime for these “fire-bearers”. In my opinion, it is necessary to develop and supplement specific policies as well as seek “open structures” in local policies to encourage the work of preserving and promoting folk culture.

Mr. Dang Van Hai - Chairman of the Education Trade Union:

Salary adjustmentproperly demonstrate the role of the education sector

It must be affirmed that the policy of raising the basic salary is a policy that is enthusiastically welcomed by all officials and teachers in the education sector. The content of the policy demonstrates the great efforts and endeavors of the Government leaders in the issue of salary reform and improving people's lives.

With the recently updated information, I hope that through this salary reform, the teaching staff will be recognized for their important role and top position in society. With the nature of the profession, we hope that the teacher allowance, seniority allowance, and toxic allowance of teachers will also be calculated so that the new salary will be higher or equal, not lower. At the same time, the positions of school office staff such as equipment, accounting, medical... will also be calculated to receive appropriate professional incentives, helping them feel secure in their work.

My general mentality, as well as that of other cadres and teachers, is to be excited and wait for the new salary. Hopefully, the new policy will properly evaluate the efforts and responsibilities of those who are contributing to the cause of educating people.