Commenting on the revised Law on Cadres and Civil Servants, on the afternoon of May 7, delegate Ta Thi Yen (Dien Bien delegation) said that there should be special mechanisms and policies to attract and promote talented people in public service activities.
"We cannot attract an excellent graduate or a young scientist from abroad with a starting salary of 2.34.
We cannot also require a good expert from a business moving to the state sector to have full processes and procedures to become a management civil servant," said the delegate.
The opinion of delegate Ta Thi Yen touches on the reality that for a long time, the state sector has been closely linked to the rigid salary framework - a salary scale, in which the starting salary of 2.34 (less than 5 million VND/month) is often applied to new employees.
Meanwhile, the private sector, corporations, non-governmental organizations and the international market compete with real salaries, clear benefits according to capacity, contribution and work efficiency.
That difference has caused many talented people, even though they are very passionate about public service, to be forced to turn their backs because they "cannot survive" on their starting salary.
This draft Law on Cadres and Civil Servants has initially opened a number of new mechanisms, allowing the reception of talented people from the non-state sector, eliminating the probationary requirements for those who are admitted in the right profession, paving the way for contracts for experts and scientists according to professional tasks. However, without corresponding breakthroughs in the salary - bonus mechanism, those innovations will be difficult to promote effectiveness.
We cannot attract talented people with unrealistic calls or slogans. Competent people need an environment that is dedicated, recognized and treated appropriately.
No one has given up researching for decades, experiencing the international environment and then returning to earn an income that makes them work hard to support their families, both working professionally and worrying about "running socks" and "working overtime".
No one wants to be left behind by a backward evaluation system and ranks while they are capable of leading major programs and projects.
To make real changes, it is necessary to boldly switch to paying salaries based on work efficiency, piloting a mechanism for negotiating starting salaries with people with outstanding abilities, or building a special treatment fund at research agencies, policy agencies, and units in disadvantaged areas.
At the same time, it is necessary to issue a clear mechanism to protect talented people from the "matrix" of procedures, "external" prejudices, or equality in assessment and appointment.
Attracting talent to the public sector is not just a story of a few provisions in the law, but a challenge in reformative thinking.
If we keep the "short shirt" of salary of 2.34 and the rigid system, then no matter how many slogans "used for talented people", they will only stop at the document, while talented people will still find a way to the private sector, the international sector - where they feel their self-worth is properly recognized.
