Directive No. 239-TTg on implementing the new salary system

DIRECTIVE

ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW SALARY REGIME

In accordance with Resolution of the second session of the Ninth National Assembly, the Government has promulgated the new salary regime. This is an important policy affecting many aspects of economic and social life and closely related to the reform of the national administrative economy.

To effectively implement the new salary regime, the Prime Minister requests that all Ministries, sectors, and localities must focus on carrying out the following tasks:

1. Properly adjust salaries according to regulations and strictly manage staffing levels, salary funds, and social welfare subsidies for eligible groups.

a) Following the establishment of the steering committee for implementing the new salary regime, the Ministers, Heads of agencies at the level of ministries, and Chairpersons of provincial People's Committees under the central government and Heads of grassroots units must personally direct this committee, immediately organize restructuring, review administrative staffing, and resolutely eliminate illegal recruitment. Salary adjustments must strictly follow state regulations, properly reassess civil servants and employees, avoid combining salary increases, and ensure reasonable and appropriate placement in salary grades, ensuring satisfaction and enthusiasm among civil servants, employees, and armed forces personnel to improve work efficiency and business performance.

b) Financial and labor departments must strengthen supervision over the use of salary funds and social insurance in various sectors and levels according to approved plans. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, along with other relevant ministries and sectors, need to review and abolish regulations on salaries and subsidies that conflict with the new salary regime.

c) The Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, in collaboration with relevant ministries and sectors and local People's Committees, needs to review and accurately grasp the groups entitled to social policies, inspect compliance at the grassroots level, ensure timely and convenient payment of pensions and social allowances to eligible recipients, and promptly address emerging issues within the allocated state budget framework.

d) The Government's Organizational and Cadre Department, in coordination with the Ministry of Finance, should urgently submit to the Government a unified management regulation for civil servant and employee staffing and administrative organizational structure. In the short term, measures must be taken to prevent unauthorized increases in staffing and the arbitrary creation of organizations in administrative bodies at all levels; terminate the allocation of staffing and salary fund quotas from the state budget to economic accounting units.

2. Ensure a stable source for salary and social allowance payments.

a) All Ministries, sectors, and localities must attach great importance to the implementation of budget revenue and expenditure tasks, viewing these as their top priority to ensure a stable source for salary and social allowance payments and meet other state budget requirements according to the plan. The Ministry of Finance must strengthen supervision over industries and localities to promptly address tax arrears and other budget payments as directed by the Government, resolutely combat revenue loss, and fully collect for the state budget.

State budget expenditures must be carried out strictly according to established standards and plans, prohibiting arbitrary and wasteful spending, and resolutely cutting unnecessary expenses, especially those related to meetings and receptions.

The Ministry of Construction must establish a system to immediately collect rent from workers and officials currently renting state-owned housing; quickly establish a management system for housing rentals to ensure a steady income stream from this sector.

b) The Ministry of Finance must instruct financial departments to ensure full, timely, and appropriate payment of salaries and social allowances for agencies and units approved by the salary adjustment steering committee. In the short term, the following actions must be implemented:

- Review and adjust financial expenditure standards towards thriftiness and effectiveness, avoiding duplication. Carefully examine budget expenditures related to salaries such as overtime pay, temporary labor hire fees, travel expenses, etc.; promptly report violations of expenditure regulations to the Prime Minister for appropriate action. Distribution and payment of salary and social welfare funds must be based on approved budgets for each sector and locality, provide inspection books for salary and social welfare funds for inter-sectoral teams to review before approval, and coordinate with the State Bank to plan distribution and payment, including retroactive salary payments.

Review and balance the state budget, submit new policies and measures to the Prime Minister aimed at increasing revenue, reducing expenditure, and achieving positive balance. In the short term, guide the implementation of existing policies, focusing on collecting education fees, service charges, hospital fees, and new rental fees into the state budget, strictly enforcing tax laws and newly adjusted tax rates.

All Ministries, sectors, and local People's Committees must strengthen guidance for enterprises to enhance production and business efficiency, fulfill their obligations to the state, and ensure a stable source for paying salaries according to the new regulations.

3. Balance supply and demand, regulate commodity and currency circulation, and ensure price stability in the market.

a) The State Planning Commission, in conjunction with the Ministry of Trade and the State Bank, working with relevant ministries, must immediately review and balance supply and demand, smooth out commodity and currency circulation nationwide, particularly in key areas, preventing sudden price hikes.

b) The Central Market Management Steering Committee must strengthen supervision over sectors and levels, inspect compliance with government regulations on market management and control; combat smuggling and speculation, ensuring unimpeded commodity circulation and stable prices.

c) The Government Price Board and the General Statistics Office shall continuously monitor price fluctuations nationwide, particularly in key markets; report and submit to the Prime Minister measures needed to address abnormal market developments, including gold prices and foreign exchange rates.

d) The State Bank shall coordinate with the National Planning Commission and the Ministry of Finance to review plans and ensure sufficient funds for production and business operations and new salaries and social allowances. Credit must be strictly controlled, interest rates adjusted flexibly, and money in society attracted to banks to be actively utilized effectively.

In accordance with the Government's policy, the bank prepares adequate resources and stands ready to intervene to stabilize gold prices and foreign exchange rates.

4. Contain inflation and strengthen economic and financial management.

The National Financial-Monetary Council assists the Prime Minister in overseeing the implementation of comprehensive economic and financial measures by ministries, sectors, and localities to ensure inflation containment when implementing the new salary system.

Ministries, sectors, and localities must enhance their responsibility in monitoring price levels, markets, finances, and currency within their respective fields and areas, promptly reporting to the Prime Minister any abnormal developments for timely handling.

Within their jurisdiction, ministries, sectors, and localities shall conduct reviews of relevant documents to better serve economic and financial management tasks, facilitate economic development, stabilize prices, and ensure real wages and living standards for civil servants, public officials, those receiving social allowances, and the people.

Heads of ministries and sectors, and Chairpersons of People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities are responsible for strictly enforcing the law to handle violations of state regulations on personnel establishment, salary funds, allowance funds, and budget revenue and expenditure tasks of agencies and units under their management.

Based on this Directive and assigned tasks, heads of ministries and sectors, and Chairpersons of People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities must develop specific action programs to effectively implement the new salary system, considering this as the top priority task in the near future.

The Government Office is responsible for urging ministries, sectors, and localities to strictly comply with this Directive./.