Joint Circular No. 64/2006/TTLT/BNN-BNV-BTC guiding the implementation of Decision No. 132/2006/QĐ-TTg dated May 31, 2006 of the Prime Minister on the allowance system for staff in the Forest Protection, Plant Protection, Animal Health, and Dike Supervision sectors.

JOINT CIRCULAR

Guidelines for Implementing Decision No. 132/2006/QĐ-TTg dated May 31, 2006

of the Prime Minister on the allowance system for certain professions

for civil servants and employees in the Forest Protection, Plant Protection,

Animal Health, and Flood Control sectors

______________________________

Pursuant to Decision No. 132/2006/QĐ-TTg dated May 31, 2006 of the Prime Minister on the allowance system for certain professions for civil servants and employees in the Forest Protection, Plant Protection, Animal Health, and Flood Control sectors (hereinafter referred to as Decision No. 132/2006/QĐ-TTg), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Finance provide guidelines for implementing the allowance system for certain professions for civil servants and employees in the Forest Protection, Plant Protection, Animal Health, and Flood Control sectors as follows:

I. SCOPE AND APPLICABLE OBJECTS

1. Civil servants (including probationary civil servants), employees, and those currently undergoing internship or trial periods directly engaged in specialized work who have been transferred to salary grades according to Decree No. 204/2004/NĐ-CP dated December 14, 2004 of the Government on the wage system for cadres, civil servants, employees, and armed forces personnel (hereinafter referred to as Decree No. 204/2004/NĐ-CP) into specialized positions in forest protection, plant protection, animal health, and flood control (positions with the first two digits of the position code being 09, 10, 11) within the state budget payroll of state agencies and public institutions.

2. The objects specified in Clause 1 of this item shall not be entitled to allowances for certain professions during the following periods:

a) Periods of working, studying abroad, or traveling abroad under Article 8, Clause 4 of Decree No. 204/2004/NĐ-CP, receiving 40% of their salary;

b) Periods of working or studying domestically for more than three months without directly engaging in specialized work;

c) Periods of taking leave without pay continuously for one month or longer;

d) Periods of sick leave or maternity leave exceeding the duration stipulated in the current Social Insurance Regulations.

State Audit officials, civil servants, and staff currently working at the State Audit Office shall be provided uniforms as follows:

II. ALLOWANCE LEVELS

The allowance levels for certain professions for civil servants and employees in the forest protection, plant protection, animal health, and flood control sectors include the following levels:

1. Forest Protection Sector

- A 50% allowance level applies to civil servants in the forest protection position working in communes where regional allowances are from 0.7 or higher;

- A 45% allowance level applies to civil servants in the forest protection position working in communes where regional allowances are from 0.4 to 0.5;

- A 40% allowance level applies to civil servants in the forest protection position working in communes where regional allowances are from 0.1 to 0.3;

- A 30% allowance level applies to civil servants and employees in the forest protection position working at Forest Protection Stations and Forest Protection Posts where regional allowances are from 0.7 or higher;

- A 25% allowance level applies to civil servants in the forest protection position working in communes where there are no regional allowances and to civil servants and employees in the forest protection position working at Forest Protection Stations and Forest Protection Posts where regional allowances are from 0.4 to 0.5;

- A 20% allowance level applies to civil servants and employees in the forest protection position working at Forest Protection Stations and Forest Protection Posts where regional allowances are from 0.1 to 0.3;

- A 15% allowance level applies to civil servants and employees in the forest protection position working at Forest Protection Stations and Forest Protection Posts where there are no regional allowances and at Mobile Forest Protection Teams;

- A 10% allowance level applies to civil servants and employees in the forest protection position directly responsible for protecting forests at Forest Protection Districts and Forest Protection Technical Centers.

2. Plant Protection and Animal Health Sectors

- A 25% allowance level applies to civil servants and employees in specialized positions working at Plant Protection Stations, Animal Health Stations, Domestic Animal and Plant Quarantine Stations, or at border gates where regional allowances are from 0.7 or higher;

- A 20% allowance level applies to civil servants and employees in specialized positions working at Plant Protection Stations, Animal Health Stations, Domestic Animal and Plant Quarantine Stations, or at border gates where regional allowances are from 0.4 to 0.5.

- A 15% allowance level applies to civil servants and employees in specialized positions working at Plant Protection Stations, Animal Health Stations, Domestic Animal and Plant Quarantine Stations, or at border gates where regional allowances are from 0.1 to 0.3.

- A 10% allowance level applies to civil servants and employees in specialized positions working at Plant Protection Stations, Animal Health Stations, Domestic Animal and Plant Quarantine Stations, or at border gates where there are no regional allowances; and to civil servants and employees in specialized positions directly involved in animal and plant quarantine, slaughterhouse inspection, veterinary hygiene inspection, animal disease diagnosis, disease surveillance and forecasting, and veterinary drug testing and certification at Provincial Plant Protection and Animal Health Bureaus, Central Veterinary Centers, and Regional Plant Quarantine Bureaus under the Animal Health Service and Plant Protection Service.

3. Flood Control Sector

- A 20% allowance level applies to civil servants and employees in the flood control position working at Coastal Flood Control Teams and Stations;

- A 15% allowance level applies to civil servants and employees in the flood control position working at River Flood Control Teams and Stations.

III. CALCULATION METHOD AND SOURCE OF FUNDS FOR PAYING ALLOWANCES

1. Calculation Method

a) Allowances for certain professions are calculated based on the current grade salary plus leadership position allowances and seniority allowances (if applicable), determined by the following formula:

Example 1: Mr. Nguyen Van A is a forest ranger responsible for a commune with a regional allowance of 0.3. Mr. A has a salary coefficient of 3.26, grade 8, forest ranger position (position code 10.079). The calculation of the allowance for Mr. A for one month is as follows:

Since Mr. A has already been receiving the benefits stipulated in Decision No. 66/2002/QĐ-TTg dated May 27, 2002 of the Prime Minister, Mr. A will be entitled to receive allowances for certain professions starting from October 1, 2004, specifically as follows:

- From October 1, 2004 to September 30, 2005 (applying the minimum wage of 290,000 VND/month):

- From October 1, 2005 (applying the minimum wage of 350,000 VND/month):

Example 2: Ms. Tran Thi B works on forecasting and predicting plant protection at the Plant Protection Station where the regional allowance is 0.5. Ms. B is classified as a plant protection forecasting officer with code 09.060, salary coefficient 4.98, grade 12, and receives a 5% seniority allowance over the ceiling. From the date this Decision 132/2006/QD-TTg takes effect (June 25, 2006), Ms. B will receive a job-related allowance at 20% for one month as follows:

b) The job-related allowance is paid together with monthly salaries and is not used to calculate contributions or benefits under social insurance or health insurance schemes.

c) In cases where a forest ranger responsible for multiple communes has different job-related allowances as stipulated in Clause 1, Section II of this Circular, they shall receive the highest job-related allowance.

d) When the subjects specified in Clause 1, Section I are transferred to work in areas with higher or lower job-related allowances than those currently receiving, they shall enjoy the job-related allowance according to the new working area from the month immediately following the month of the transfer decision.

2. Sources of funding

a) For agencies and units fully funded by the state budget, the job-related allowance is guaranteed by the state budget according to the current budget allocation level within the annual budget allocated to the agency or unit.

b) For agencies implementing personnel quotas and administrative management expenses and public institutions operating on self-financing, the job-related allowance is paid from the allocated quota funds and self-financing resources.

Specifically for the years 2004, 2005, and 2006, the requirements and funding sources to ensure payment of the above allowances were implemented according to the guidance provided by the Ministry of Finance in Circular No. 02/2005/TT-BTC dated January 6, 2005, guiding the determination of needs, sources, and methods of expenditure for salary reform for cadres, civil servants, officials, and armed forces, and Circular No. 89/2005/TT-BTC dated October 13, 2005, guiding the determination of needs, sources, and methods of expenditure for adjusting the minimum wage.

IV. EFFECTIVE DATE OF IMPLEMENTATION

1. This Circular takes effect fifteen days after its publication in the Official Gazette.

a) For forest rangers who have been receiving the subsidy regime as stipulated in Decision No. 66/2002/QD-TTg dated May 27, 2002, of the Government on the Subsidy Regime for Cadres and Civil Servants Working as Forest Rangers in Commune Areas, they will be entitled to the job-related allowance as prescribed in this Circular from October 1, 2004.

b) Other subjects will be entitled to the job-related allowance as prescribed in this Circular from the effective date of Decision No. 132/2006/QD-TTg (June 25, 2006).

2. This Circular replaces Circular No. 11/2002/TTLT-BNV-BTC-BNNPTNT dated October 25, 2002, guiding the implementation of Decision No. 66/2002/QD-TTg dated May 27, 2002, of the Government on the Subsidy Regime for Cadres and Civil Servants Working as Forest Rangers in Commune Areas.

During the implementation process, if there are any difficulties, please report them to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Finance for research and resolution./.