Directive No. 05/2008/CT-TTg on Improving the Efficiency of Working Time Utilization by State Officials, Civil Servants, and Public Employees

DIRECTIVE

On Improving the Efficiency of Working Time Utilization for State Officials, Civil Servants, and Public Employees

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In recent years, generally, the cadre of state officials, civil servants, and public employees have conscientiously complied with the legal regulations on working time utilization as stipulated in the Labor Code of 1994, Decree No. 195/CP dated December 31, 1994 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of certain provisions of the Labor Code regarding working hours and rest periods, Decision No. 188/1999/QD-TTg dated September 17, 1999 of the Prime Minister on implementing the 40-hour work week system, and other related legal documents. Many state officials, civil servants, and public employees diligently work with high sense of responsibility; administrative agencies and public institutions have paid attention to applying scientific labor organization measures, reasonably utilizing working time of state officials, civil servants, and public employees to effectively complete their tasks.

However, there are still many limitations and weaknesses in managing labor within administrative agencies and public institutions, leading to wastage of working time, thus not achieving high productivity and quality of work. A significant portion of state officials, civil servants, and public employees have not sufficiently emphasized their responsibilities in performing their duties; they have poor labor discipline; they violate legal regulations on working time utilization such as engaging in personal activities, arriving late, leaving early, playing games, gambling, drinking alcohol during working hours, which affects the efficiency and quality of work and the conduct and reputation of state officials, civil servants, and public employees.

The main cause of these shortcomings is that the heads of state agencies, organizations, and units have not given sufficient attention to managing working time; the awareness of state officials, civil servants, and public employees in complying with legal regulations on working time utilization is weak; and the handling of violations of legal regulations on working time is not strict enough.

To address these shortcomings and weaknesses, along with implementing the contents of administrative reform, building a dedicated and devoted cadre of state officials, civil servants, and public employees serving the people, and improving discipline and order, enhancing the efficiency of working time utilization for state officials, civil servants, and public employees, the Prime Minister issues the following directive:

1. Heads of administrative agencies and heads of public institutions under the state machinery shall be responsible for:

a) Managing and using working time of agencies, organizations, and units efficiently. Allocating labor reasonably and organizing the labor process of state officials, civil servants, and public employees properly. Investigating, surveying, establishing labor standards and working hours for state officials, civil servants, and public employees. Based on approved labor standards and working hours, applying mechanisms of work assignment by task or by time spent on tasks;

b) Establishing specific work programs and plans based on assigned tasks and tasks of agencies, organizations, and units; allocating time reasonably to implement assigned programs and plans;

c) Strictly implementing meeting systems in the operation of state agencies as stipulated in Decision No. 114/2006/QD-TTg dated May 25, 2006 of the Prime Minister to improve the quality of conferences, seminars, meetings, and save time by innovating methods and ways of organizing and conducting meetings;

d) Applying the quality management system according to the TCVN ISO-9001:2000 standard in the operation of state administrative agencies as stipulated in Decision No. 144/2006/QD-TTg dated June 20, 2006 of the Prime Minister and applying information technology in office work;

đ) Ensuring appropriate equipment, means, and working conditions suitable for the nature and characteristics of labor for state officials, civil servants, and public employees; effectively implementing the program of modernizing the administrative apparatus and modernizing offices;

e) Emphasizing responsibility and setting a good example in implementing regulations on working time utilization; adopting appropriate measures to encourage and timely reward state officials, civil servants, and public employees who strictly comply with labor discipline, work productively, qualitatively, and effectively, and utilize working time efficiently; while regularly inspecting the implementation of regulations on working time utilization and labor discipline; strictly handling cases of violation; not considering rewards for state officials, civil servants, and public employees who violate working time regulations.

2. State officials, civil servants, and public employees:

a) Must comply with and utilize working time effectively as prescribed by law, internal regulations, and rules of agencies, organizations, and units;

b) Not to use working time for personal matters; not to arrive late, leave early, play games during working hours; not to drink alcohol before, during working hours, including during lunch breaks between shifts on working days and on duty days;

c) Must be present at the workplace at the designated time according to regular working hours or as specifically stipulated by agencies, organizations, and units.

3. Responsibilities of Ministries and Agencies:

a) The Ministry of Home Affairs shall guide, urge, and inspect ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government agencies, provincial People's Committees, and municipal People's Committees directly under the central government in implementing this Directive and report periodically every six months and annually to the Prime Minister on the implementation situation;

b) The Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs shall take the lead and coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to review, amend, supplement, or develop new labor standards and working time usage standards in administrative agencies, public institutions, and state-owned enterprises.

Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government agencies, Chairmen of provincial People's Committees, and municipal People's Committees directly under the central government, state agencies, organizations, and units, and state officials, civil servants, and public employees are responsible for implementing this Directive./.