Vinh City: Reduce many staff and unify department-level positions

Streamlining the apparatus

On May 2, 2019, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued Decision No. 1417/QD-UBND to establish the Vinh City Center for Culture, Sports and Communications on the basis of merging two units, the Center for Culture - Sports and the Radio - Television Station, into the Vinh City Center for Culture, Sports and Communications. Thus, up to now, the city has reduced from 14 public service units to 13 units.

City leaders presented flowers to congratulate the Board of Directors of the Vinh City Center for Culture, Sports and Communications. Photo: Mai Hoa

In addition, Vinh City also focuses on reorganizing the internal organizations of public service units. As of December 2018, schools have reorganized their internal organizations to ensure streamlining and effective operations, thereby reducing the number of groups and departments from 331 in 2015 to 165 groups and departments, thus reducing 166 internal organizations.

Along with the above process, the city has also implemented models of title unification. Accordingly, in June 2018, it completed the unification of the title of Head of the City Party Committee's Propaganda Department and Director of the Political Training Center, thereby reducing the number of Center Directors by 1.

Specifically, comrade Ngo Thi Huong - Member of the Standing Committee, Head of the Propaganda Department of Vinh City Party Committee was assigned to concurrently hold the position of Director of the City Political Training Center from September 12, 2018 according to Decision No. 642-QD/Thu dated September 11, 2018 of Vinh City Party Committee.

Comrade Nguyen Xuan Do - Director of the City Political Training Center was assigned to hold the position of Deputy Director of the City Political Training Center.

In the period of 2019 - 2021, Vinh city has no wards or communes subject to merger: Thanh Duy

It is expected that in 2019, the City will unify two more positions: Chairman of the City Party Committee's Inspection Committee is also the Chief Inspector (expected to be implemented from September 2019) and Head of the City Party Committee's Organization Committee is also the Head of the Department of Internal Affairs (expected to be implemented from September 2019).

Reduce the number of employees

Le Mao Ward is one of the pioneering units in the re-arrangement of positions, including non-professional staff at the commune level. Accordingly, based on the conclusions of the superiors, the ward has implemented the arrangement of concurrent positions. For example, comrade Hoang Thi Hoai Huyen, Deputy Head of the Ward Party Committee's Inspection Committee, has been assigned to concurrently hold the position of Vice Chairman of the Ward Fatherland Front Committee.

In addition, a number of other positions are also assigned concurrently, such as: cultural officer concurrently working in radio broadcasting, Deputy Secretary of the Ward Youth Union concurrently Chairman of the Red Cross Society. Land officer concurrently Head of the Urban Regulation Team...

Comrade Nguyen Tam Ky - Chairman of Le Mao Ward People's Committee said that with the above arrangement, the ward has reduced 5 non-professional staff, from 12 people to 7 people. In the blocks, the number of residential groups has also been merged and reduced from 98 to 54 residential groups in 9 blocks.

Le Mao ward leaders discuss work with non-professional staff. Photo: Thanh Duy

Through the arrangement of concurrent positions, the number of block staff was also reduced by 54 people. However, because each staff member had a defined task, the work was still carried out smoothly, without affecting the quality, while the total amount of allowances paid was also reduced compared to before.

Not only in Le Mao ward, but in all 25 wards and communes, Vinh city has directed the reasonable rearrangement of non-professional staff. Currently, wards and communes have arranged 360 non-professional staff, of which 165 are assigned to hold concurrent positions, accounting for 31.4% (39 people hold 2 additional positions and 112 people hold 1 additional position).

Thus, 165 non-professional ward and commune workers were reduced compared to the prescribed number (a reduction of 31.4% compared to the total maximum number arranged).

Similarly, in 371 blocks and hamlets, 1,611 non-professional workers were arranged, a reduction of 244 people compared to the prescribed number (a reduction of 13.15% compared to the total maximum number arranged).

Of these, 17 Party cell secretaries have been assigned to be block and hamlet chiefs; 189 Party cell secretaries have been assigned to be block and hamlet front work heads.

Along with that, Vinh City also reduced the number of heads and deputy heads. In 2017, the city had a total of 179 heads of agencies and units and has so far reduced 3 heads, and is expected to reduce another head in September. In 2017, the city had a total of 261 deputy heads from the position of Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee and above.

Implementing the direction of the Provincial Party Standing Committee on reducing deputy levels in agencies and units (departments, offices, units with less than 10 people appoint 1 deputy, over 10 people appoint 2 deputies), the city has seriously implemented it.

As a result, over the past time, the whole city has had 9 departments, offices and units reduce the number of deputy positions in accordance with regulations, such as: The City People's Council reduced from 2 Vice Chairmen to 1 Vice Chairman; The City Party Committee's Organization Board reduced from 3 Vice Chairmen to 2 Vice Chairmen. Up to now, the City has reduced from 261 to 247 deputy positions of agencies and units (reduced by 14 people).

From 2015 to now, the entire city has streamlined 284 staff, civil servants and public employees (of which 145 people retired according to Decree 108).

Comrade Nguyen Van Chinh - Head of the Vinh City Party Committee's Organization Board said: With high political determination, not expecting, but being cautious, scientific, having a solid roadmap, doing what is clear, and piloting what is unclear, after one year, the organization, streamlining of staff and restructuring of the city's staff, civil servants and public employees have achieved certain results, ensuring to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of operations. In particular, the city pays great attention to arranging public service units and units with overlapping functions and tasks.

Officers of Vinh City Urban Management Department handle work. Photo: Thanh Duy

In addition to the achieved results, to make the implementation process more effective, Vinh City recommends that competent authorities promptly amend and supplement resolutions and decisions on the number of positions and allowances for part-time workers at the commune, block, and hamlet levels; support levels for standing members of the Fatherland Front Committee and members of the standing committees of commune-level mass organizations; and at the same time, promulgate regulations on policies, concurrent positions, and funding mechanisms for cadres, civil servants, and part-time workers at the commune level and in blocks, hamlets, and villages.

On the other hand, the merger of some units of the Health and Agriculture sectors also needs to be implemented soon according to the consolidation policy and handed over to the district level for management in order to soon stabilize the operations of the units.