The country now has 11,000 commune-level administrative bodies. If each of them admits one more regular staff member, the state budget will have to spend another VND631 billion (over US$38 million) a year for their salaries and allowances, according to the NA’s Law Committee.

The deputies suggested changes to the draft law on the commune-level workforce, under which people hired to the post of deputy heads of various organizations – like the police and army – and the Party Committee office manager are not included in the regular personnel list.

Tran The Vuong, head of the parliament’s People’s Aspirations Committee, agreed with the proposal.

He noted that some state agencies had included drivers in their regular workforce, leading to the driver of an agency chief being included in the regular staff list and that of a deputy chief get being excluded.

In Vietnam, an official listed as in the regular workforce of a state agency is a lifelong employee with benefits unless he commits violations that cause him to lose the privileges.

Officials who are not included in the regular workforce are hired on fixed-term contracts.

Reported by Xuan Toan