Salary for category 2B - When?
(Baonghean)… More than 100 forest protection and management officials under category 2B (units that self-finance their salaries) in the province are facing extremely difficult circumstances, as they have not received a single penny in salary for nearly a year, yet they are still clinging to their jobs protecting the forests in the hope of one day receiving a stable salary to support their lives.
Currently, hundreds of forest protection and management officials under category 2B in the Protective Forest Management Boards (RFMBs) in the province have not received their salaries since the beginning of 2011. The reason is: Funding for the 5 million hectare reforestation project has ended, state support is no longer available, and the RFMBs in the province are unable to pay salaries to their forest protection officials.
Forestry workers from Con Cuong Forestry Company patrol and protect the forest. Photo: V.D.
Mr. Hoang Van Minh, an officer of the Tuong Duong Forest Management Board, graduated from Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry. In 2008, he was assigned to work at the Huu Khuong Commune Forest Management Station. In 2010, he was informed that there would be no funds to pay his salary, but he persevered and eventually the province managed to pay him 10 months' salary. However, at the beginning of 2011, he stopped receiving his salary altogether. Although the Forest Management Board provided support, his life has become extremely difficult. To this day, Minh still has to return to his hometown every week and every month to ask his family for rice.
In many forest protection management stations in Tuong Duong district, most of the 2B category officers are struggling to make ends meet, having accumulated persistent debts to restaurants and shops. Despite living without a salary, these forestry officers continue to patrol the treacherous mountain roads daily to protect the forest. From November 2011 to the present, nearly 10 months have passed, but the 24 forest protection officers of the Tuong Duong Forest Protection Management Board have not received the necessary funds to pay their salaries and contributions. Currently, the total outstanding salary debt for these 24 2B officers is over 465 million VND, and the outstanding social insurance debt is 110 million VND. The provincial Social Insurance agency issued Official Letter No. 711 dated June 15, 2012, to the Forest Protection Management Board regarding "Notification of legal action against units owing social insurance," and is proceeding with the preparation of legal documents to file lawsuits in the district-level court in accordance with regulations against units with long-standing debts.
The Ky Son Forest Protection Management Board is tasked with protecting over 172,000 hectares of critical forest and forest land. Of its 35 staff members, 21 are classified under category 2B. Mr. Vi Van Kien, a forest protection officer at Huu Lap, said: “I started working here in 2009. For the first two years, I received my full salary, but in 2011 I only received 10.5 months' salary, and in 2012 I haven't received any salary at all. Meanwhile, my wife and children are still renting a house to live in. Given this situation, I will probably have to find another job to make a living.” According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, head of the Nam Can commune forest protection station, all three staff members have not received their salaries to date. They have to borrow money and use their own funds to protect over 20,000 hectares of forest in this rugged terrain. It is known that in 2012, the province invested approximately 400 million VND in the Ky Son Forest Protection Management Board to protect 2,000 hectares of forest. After deducting the costs of preparing documents and procedures, only 340 million VND remained, while the annual salary for 21 forest protection officers needs to be over 1 billion VND; meaning that this year the Board... We still owe officials over 700 million VND.
At the Yen Thanh Forest Management Board, after the conversion from a Forestry Company to a Forest Management Board, 32 people were supposed to be "transferred to a new unit." However, in reality, these 32 officials have not yet been accepted by anyone, and the Yen Thanh Forest Management Board is still supporting them. Without funding to pay salaries, the Board has to find ways to create jobs for them, such as contracting forest protection and nursery product sales to pay wages. Not to mention the Anh Son, Que Phong, and Quy Chau Forest Management Boards, which have many officials under category 2B working without pay.
The head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said: "We have just had a meeting with the Department of Internal Affairs, but we have not yet found a definitive solution. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development continues to handle the issue in two ways: Firstly, we are looking for support sources, such as integrating funding from the 30A program, to provide additional financial support for our staff. Secondly, we are continuing to submit a plan to the Provincial People's Committee to officially recognize the 2B civil servant force as a forest protection force, in accordance with Government Decision 186, which stipulates one forest protection officer for every 1000 hectares of forest. Currently, Nghe An province has 480,000 hectares of forest under the management of the Forest Protection Management Boards, while the official force is only over 130 people, leaving a need for over 300 forest protection officers."
According to Notice No. 397-TB-UBND dated October 21, 2011, the conclusions of Mr. Ho Duc Phoc – Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee – at the working session with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, assigned the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Department of Internal Affairs, and the Department of Finance to develop a plan to submit to the Provincial People's Committee for handling, aiming to ensure stable funding for employees under category 2B of the Forest Protection Management Boards. The Forest Protection Management Boards have sent numerous documents and proposals to the relevant departments, urgently requesting the Provincial People's Committee to consider supplementing funds in the salary fund for the specialized forest protection force to help them stabilize their lives. However, to date, the employees' entitlements have not been resolved. Currently, some officials have submitted resignation letters. If the salary system is not guaranteed, there is a risk that 2B forest protection officials will resign en masse, meaning many forests will lack protection forces.
Van Truong
