Streamlining the Workforce: Effective Strategies for Managing Surplus Staff

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized the importance of fair, humane, and harmonious policies that ensure equitable treatment for all during the restructuring and streamlining of the government apparatus.

On December 17, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, head of the Government’s Steering Committee, presided over the fourth meeting of the committee to review the implementation of Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW. This resolution was issued by the 12th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam on October 25, 2017, regarding the continuous renovation and reorganization of the political system for enhanced effectiveness and efficiency.

Significant Reduction in Departments and Units

Minister of Home Affairs, Pham Thi Thanh Tra, presented a report at the meeting, detailing the completion of the summary report on Resolution 18-NQ/TW. She also discussed the proposal to merge, integrate, and transfer functions and tasks among various organizations, along with relevant documents and proposals to conclude the activities of the Party Committee. This includes the establishment of the Government Party Committee and the Party Committees of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, and government agencies.

According to the proposed plan, the government apparatus is expected to comprise 13 ministries and four ministerial-level agencies, representing a reduction of five ministries and five government agencies. Additionally, there will be a decrease of 500 departments and equivalent units within ministries and general departments. The number of departments under ministries and ministerial-level agencies and their equivalents will be reduced by 177, and the number of public non-business units under ministries and within ministries will be cut by 190.

Ms. Pham Thi Thanh Tra stated that the integration and merger of government agencies would streamline management functions and tasks, addressing current overlaps. This reorganization is expected to result in a 35-40% reduction in the number of units, with internal restructuring within the organizations as well. The proposed direction from the government includes the elimination of general departments and equivalent organizations. The Ministry of Home Affairs is currently advising the Steering Committee to finalize the reports and proposals for submission to the competent authorities by December 25.

Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra emphasized the importance of policies to support officials, public employees, public servants, and laborers affected by the restructuring and streamlining process. The Ministry of Home Affairs has been working diligently to develop these policies and will submit a draft decree on policies regarding officials, public employees, public servants, and contracted laborers in the reorganization of the political system to the competent authorities in the near future.

During the meeting, the Steering Committee members provided feedback to refine the report of the Party Committee of the Government on the implementation of Resolution 18. This included discussions on the names of some ministries after the merger and the reorganization plan and model for certain agencies and units. The committee also thoroughly deliberated on the policies for officials, public employees, public servants, and laborers during the streamlining process of the political system.

Retaining Capable Officials

In his conclusion, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed that the construction of policies must ensure fairness, humanity, harmony, and reasonable correlation among subjects to stabilize their lives. The policies should also safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of officials, public employees, public servants, and laborers. He emphasized that the policies should be consistent and build upon existing policies, offering better benefits than the current ones. The Prime Minister asserted that social progress, equality, and welfare should not be sacrificed solely for the sake of growth. Instead, the well-being of the people should continually improve, ensuring that no one is left behind.

The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of further refining the incentive policies for those who choose to leave their positions immediately after the reorganization. The development of these policies should be linked to the responsibility of the heads of agencies, organizations, and units in evaluating, screening, and selecting individuals for retirement. This process should be aligned with the goal of streamlining personnel and restructuring and improving the quality of officials, public employees, and public servants, as well as strengthening the leadership and combat readiness of Party organizations and members.

The head of the government also directed that the reorganization of the apparatus should focus on retaining capable officials, public employees, and public servants with good qualities, health, experience, and dedication. This should be coupled with the implementation of policies to attract talented individuals to the public sector.

To accomplish the tasks ahead, the Prime Minister assigned Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh, deputy head of the Steering Committee, to continue directing the completion of reports and submissions to the competent authorities. Regarding the development of policies for officials, public employees, public servants, and laborers, the Prime Minister noted that the policies should be designed to be easily understandable, calculable, memorable, and feasible. He also emphasized the importance of continuing to do well in ideological work and information and propaganda work related to this matter.