Ensuring workers' rights when rearranging District Traffic Departments in Hai Duong

Recently, leaders and employees of 9 Traffic Departments in Kim Thanh, Nam Sach, Thanh Ha, Tu Ky, Ninh Giang, Gia Loc, Thanh Mien, Binh Giang and Cam Giang districts are worried about the risk of the unit being dissolved and workers losing their jobs.

District traffic departments have been established for decades. Since their establishment, the traffic departments have operated as public service units under the People's Committees of the districts, although the establishment decisions did not state that they were public service units. The traffic departments have leaders, accountants, engineers, and the rest are mainly workers who are responsible for maintaining and repairing traffic routes entrusted by the province and district roads. Because they are considered public service units, the management, maintenance, and repair of traffic routes are assigned by the People's Committees of the districts to the units in the form of assigning tasks based on cost norms for the total length of roads assigned for management.

According to Decree 32/2019/ND-CP dated April 10, 2019 of the Government regulating the assignment of tasks, ordering or bidding for the provision of public products and services using the state budget from regular expenditure sources; Decision No. 23/2021/QD-UBND dated October 11, 2021 of the People's Committee of Hai Duong province regulating the provision of public services in the management and maintenance of road and inland waterway infrastructure in Hai Duong province, the management, maintenance and repair of roads are on the list of public services using the state budget, so bidding or ordering must be carried out. The form of ordering is carried out for public service units. The budget is calculated on the basis of economic-technical norms or cost norms. The form of bidding for the provision of public service is carried out according to the Law on Bidding with joint stock companies. By the end of August 2024, all 9 Traffic Departments mentioned above are not public service units nor joint stock companies, so the assignment of tasks is not in accordance with regulations.

In Hai Duong City, Chi Linh City and Kinh Mon Town, the management, maintenance and repair of traffic roads are different in each place. Chi Linh City and Kinh Mon Town no longer have the model of Traffic Department but have been transformed into joint stock companies, providing public services through bidding. The Transport Enterprise under the People's Committee of Hai Duong City ensures regular expenses, has legal status, has its own seal, and performs the task of ordering public services assigned by the People's Committee of Hai Duong City, including maintenance, repair, painting, road marking, repair, installation of new traffic signs... in the city.

Thus, the current model of providing public services for maintenance and repair of the road system of Chi Linh City and Kinh Mon Town is in accordance with the law. The 9 District Traffic Departments and the Hai Duong City Transport Enterprise are not suitable and must be rearranged. The problem is how to rearrange the 9 District Traffic Departments and the Hai Duong City Transport Enterprise. The Hai Duong City Transport Enterprise has a solution when the unit is identified as an economic service unit of the Hai Duong City People's Committee. The Department of Planning and Investment is coordinating with the Hai Duong City People's Committee to complete the dossier to request the equitization policy.

With 9 District Traffic Departments, the plan to rearrange the operating model is not simple. Because they are not public service units, nor are they single-member LLCs owned by the State, it is very difficult to switch to a joint stock company model. The plan that the provincial authorities are proposing to the Provincial People's Committee is to dissolve the 9 District Traffic Departments from January 2025. The public services of the District Traffic Departments are being converted to bidding. However, solving the problem of how to handle the people working here is not easy. For leaders and employees on the payroll, arranging new jobs is not difficult because the number is not large. What is of concern is where will the 185 workers and laborers who do the tasks of cutting grass, draining water, sweeping the streets... go every day? Although the monthly salary of these workers is not high, this is a stable source of income for them to cover their daily lives.

The arrangement and reorganization of the 9 District Traffic Departments is necessary. However, ensuring the legitimate rights and interests of workers here is equally necessary.