'Pension salaries should increase from 2025'

Discussing in groups at the National Assembly on the morning of October 26, Associate Professor Tran Hoang Ngan (Assistant Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee) recalled that 4 days ago, the Government wanted to ensure budget balance and proposed that in 2025, it would not consider increasing pensions, public sector salaries, or preferential allowances for people with meritorious services.

"I only partially support this proposal of the Government," Mr. Ngan stated his opinion.

He explained that since July 1 this year, the basic salary has increased to VND2.34 million/month, so the salaries of public sector civil servants and public employees are "a little better". However, agencies need to pay attention to salaries in the education sector, especially in remote areas, as well as salaries of medical staff. "I think the salaries for surgeries are too low. But more importantly, pensions are very low", Mr. Ngan said.

Therefore, he suggested that the Government may not increase public sector salaries, but must increase pensions and social security benefits, and preferential allowances for meritorious people by 2025. He said that if pensions and allowances for meritorious people are not increased, the joy will decrease because this is a year with many major national holidays such as the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Party, the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and the 50th anniversary of national reunification. Increasing pensions and allowances for meritorious people will also help stimulate consumption.

In addition, he also proposed increasing family deductions and personal income tax to improve people's income and support growth.

Sharing the same opinion, Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Inspection Committee Tran Kim Yen said that when workers go to work, their salary and bonus will be based on their experience, knowledge, skills, and intelligence, but when they retire, this will no longer be the case. Therefore, Ms. Yen suggested that agencies take into account voters' opinions to have appropriate policies for pensioners.

The female delegate also proposed requiring businesses to pay health insurance and social insurance for delivery workers (shippers). Currently, the mandatory social insurance and health insurance regulations only apply to workers with contracts of one month or more. For e-commerce platforms, delivery people play an important role, but they are only considered informal workers.

Although there is no formal labor contract, the relationship between delivery people and e-commerce platforms is binding. They must achieve a certain level of index to receive a corresponding salary and bonus. Therefore, the labor contract should be viewed as not only a document signed between two parties but also includes an agreement on work efficiency index and salary and bonus.

"If this workforce does not participate in compulsory insurance, in the long run, when they get old and cannot do this job anymore, it will be a burden on society," Ms. Yen analyzed.

Previously, from July 1, about 3.3 million people received an increase in pensions, social insurance benefits, and monthly allowances of 15%. Those receiving pensions before 1995, after adjustment, whose monthly allowance is less than 3.2 million VND, will have an increase of 300,000 VND. Those whose monthly allowance is from 3.2 to under 3.5 million VND will have their monthly allowance adjusted to 3.5 million VND. The preferential allowance for people with meritorious services will increase to nearly 2.79 million VND per month; social assistance is 500,000 VND per month.

From 1995 to the end of 2023, the National Assembly and the Government have adjusted pensions 23 times. Currently, the average level of pensioners from the social insurance fund is 5.6 million VND/month; pensioners from the state budget is 4.7 million VND/month.

Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra said that despite recent difficulties, the Government has allocated about VND700,000 billion in resources, and by 2026, VND930,000 billion for salary adjustments. Implementing salary and insurance policies, adjusting pensions, and subsidies for meritorious people requires a huge amount of resources. However, in practice, there are still shortcomings and the Government has reported to the Politburo.

Ms. Pham Thi Thanh Tra said that in the coming time, the Ministry of Home Affairs will continue to review some groups that are still inadequate in practice such as administrative staff, teachers, especially preschool teachers, and medical staff. The Government will conduct a comprehensive review to propose appropriate allowance adjustments in accordance with the spirit of the Central Committee's resolution and the Politburo's conclusion.

"How to ensure that special groups need more attention and priority, and ensure that their lives are better," Ms. Tra emphasized.