Find solutions to motivate non-professional workers

Need strong enough mechanisms and policies

At the meeting and dialogue between the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and the heads of the Party Committees and authorities at the commune level, one of the issues related to personnel work mentioned was the lack of strong enough mechanisms and policies to attract and motivate non-professional workers at the commune and hamlet levels.

Comrade Le Anh Nga - Secretary of the Party Committee of Dien Lam Commune (Dien Chau District) raised the issue: In the past, the streamlining of staff and the current phase of continuing to merge administrative units at the commune level; there has been and will continue to be a surplus of full-time cadres and civil servants. This means that part-time workers at the commune and hamlet levels find it difficult to develop into full-time cadres or civil servants.

On the other hand, the regime and policies for non-professional workers are still inadequate and do not meet the requirements of ensuring a minimum living standard. This is causing psychological and ideological problems as well as reducing the motivation of non-professional workers at the commune, block and hamlet levels.

Also reflecting on the low policy regime, the opportunity to develop into a full-time cadre or civil servant is almost zero, Secretary of the Party Committee of Dong Hop commune (Quy Hop district) Tran Thi Nga stated the reality that in the district, there are a number of part-time workers at the commune level who have quit their jobs to work abroad or find other jobs.

Along with the "narrowing" regime, policies and development and growth opportunities for non-professional workers, this has led to a situation that many establishments have reported as being both unattractive and difficult to retain capable, responsible and enthusiastic people.

The situation of non-professional workers "wanting to leave when inside, but not wanting to enter when outside" is common in many localities in the province, not only affecting the quality of professional activities, affecting the implementation of political tasks in each locality, but also affecting the planning, training and fostering of the next generation of cadres at the grassroots level.

As shared by comrade Nguyen Manh Hung - Secretary of the Party Committee of Hoa Hieu Ward (Thai Hoa Town): The psychology and ideology of civil servants want to be stable, do not want to strive to become full-time cadres with a lot of pressure; so the source of full-time cadres has long relied mainly on the team of part-time activists at the commune and block and hamlet levels.

However, due to the low salary, and the lack of opportunities to develop into a full-time cadre, the number of young, qualified and capable people participating in part-time activities in disadvantaged communes, especially in blocks and hamlets, is very small, mainly the elderly and retired cadres. This is a headache for the grassroots level in planning, training, fostering and building a team of full-time cadres.

From the practice at the grassroots level, Comrade Nguyen Viet Hung - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Director of the Department of Home Affairs, said that these are issues that need attention and handling. The Department of Home Affairs is being assigned by the Provincial People's Committee to survey, evaluate, research, and advise on building policies and mechanisms for cadres, including non-professional workers at the commune, block, hamlet, village, and hamlet levels, ensuring compliance with Central regulations and local realities, especially creating opportunities for those with qualifications, capacity, and aspiration to contribute to the apparatus.

Currently, based on the direction of the Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Home Affairs is in the process of developing and soliciting comments on the draft resolution on regulations on titles and allowances for part-time workers at the commune, hamlet, block, and village levels and those directly participating in activities at hamlets, blocks, and villages; the level of operating expenses for commune-level socio-political organizations and mass mobilization groups at hamlets, blocks, and villages in the province in the spirit of Decree No. 33 of the Government.

Comrade Nguyen Viet Hung - Director of Department of Home Affairs

Remove obstacles

According to Resolution No. 23 dated December 9, 2021 of the Provincial People's Council, there are 11 positions for non-professional workers at the commune level, including: Deputy Commander of the Military Command; Deputy Head of the Party Inspection Committee; Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee; Vice Chairman of the Veterans Association; Vice Chairman of the Women's Union; Vice Chairman of the Farmers' Association; Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union; Chairman of the Association of the Elderly; Chairman of the Red Cross Society; Veterinary; Plant Protection - Agricultural Extension - Forestry Extension - Fisheries Extension (for wards, there are 2 additional positions: Head of the Neighborhood Protection Committee and Deputy Head of the Neighborhood Protection Committee). The hamlet level includes 3 positions: Party cell secretary; Head of hamlet, block, village; Head of the Front's working committee.

According to the assessment of the grassroots, this is a team with an extremely important role; they are the ones who directly propagate, guide and organize, bringing the Party and State's policies and guidelines into life, making an important contribution to ensuring the good implementation of political tasks at the grassroots level.

Therefore, although there are still difficulties and shortcomings in policy mechanisms and development opportunities are not certain and clear, many localities, within their capacity and efforts, have had mechanisms and methods to ensure attracting capable and qualified people to work, while creating a source of successors for the specialized team and civil servants.

As in Tuong Duong district, according to comrade Mac Van Nguyen - Standing Committee member, Head of the District Party Committee's Organization Board, for many years, the district has paid attention to promoting and encouraging university and college graduates to return to their localities to participate in non-professional positions; in which the rate of university degrees at the commune level is 43.5%. Along with that, it is necessary to arrange concurrent positions, people holding 2-3 positions to increase allowances, such as some non-professional positions at the commune level concurrently serving as Party cell secretaries, heads of blocks, hamlets, villages or standing members of mass organizations; Vice President of the Farmers' Association concurrently serving as plant protection and veterinary officers, etc.

The Head of the Organization Board of Tuong Duong District Party Committee also said: When in the commune, some full-time positions are vacant, capable part-time workers will be arranged to replace them, including the positions of chairmen of organizations: Women, Farmers, Veterans, Youth Union...

Similarly, in Do Luong district, in addition to creating conditions for non-professional activists at the commune and hamlet levels to hold concurrent positions with about 90% of people holding 2-3 positions to increase allowances, according to comrade Vo Thanh Luc - Deputy Head of the Organizing Committee of Do Luong District Party Committee: In some establishments, they have also creatively built an association activity fund to both create resources for the association's activities and provide additional support for non-professional teams at the commune level. Along with that, the establishments also create conditions to arrange reasonable working hours for this team, only requiring them to come to the headquarters to work 6 sessions/week.

The role and contribution of part-time activists at the commune, block and hamlet levels cannot be denied; especially this force is an important human resource in the locality, they are the successor team of full-time cadres and civil servants at the commune level and even outside the locality, because in reality, there are many key leaders who come from part-time activists at the commune level.

To create an environment and conditions for non-professional workers at the commune level to promote their capacity, contribute and grow; many opinions from the grassroots suggested that the province study and arrange non-professional staff at the commune level in a streamlined manner, increase the number of concurrent positions and ensure that each job must have someone in charge to increase income, enhance responsibility and efficiency of assigned work; associated with building and adjusting allowance levels to ensure fairness and suitability. On the other hand, the province needs to have a plan for training and fostering professional skills, associated with regulations on recruitment into civil servants and arrangement as full-time staff at the commune level.

Along with the above issues, currently some localities also propose that the province remove some vacant positions for establishments, such as Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee and Chairmen of organizations: Women, Farmers, Youth Union..., but cannot be arranged due to the policy of temporarily suspending recruitment, receiving civil servants, public employees, supplementing Party committees, appointing leaders and managers at district and commune levels in Official Dispatch No. 1757 dated March 7, 2023 of the Provincial Party Standing Committee on implementing Conclusion No. 48 of the Politburo.