Prime Minister requests early proposal to increase minimum wage

Chairing the regular Government meeting on the morning of September 9, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also requested the Ministry of Home Affairs to promptly complete and report to the Government a plan to submit to the Politburo, the Central Committee, and the National Assembly on the salary reform roadmap.

The Ministry of Home Affairs will soon organize a preliminary review of 5 years of implementing Resolution 27 of the Central Committee on reforming salary policy for cadres, civil servants, public employees, armed forces and employees in enterprises.

Currently, the minimum monthly wage for employees working in enterprises in Region I is 4.68 million VND; Region II is 4.16 million, Region III is 3.64 million and Region IV is 3.25 million. This level has increased by 6% compared to before July 1, 2022.

According to a survey by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor in the first half of 2023, the average income of workers reached 7.88 million VND, while their family's monthly spending was 11.7 million. Thus, income only met nearly 70% of the spending of the surveyed people. Workers' spending also increased by 19% compared to 2022, mainly due to high prices, electricity and water bills.

At the meeting on adjusting the regional minimum wage in 2024 of the National Wage Council in early August, the union proposed an increase of about 6%, which means the lowest corresponding wage would be 195,000 VND for region IV and 280,000 VND for region I. However, the parties have not yet agreed on the level and timing of the increase, so the discussion will be postponed until November.

Regarding the roadmap for salary reform for cadres, civil servants, public employees, armed forces and employees in enterprises, Resolution 27 of the Central Committee sets a target to be implemented from July 1, 2021. Over the past two years, due to many adverse impacts, especially the Covid-19 pandemic, the roadmap for synchronous salary policy reform has not yet been implemented.

At the Ministry of Home Affairs' working conference in early September, Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra requested that units complete reports on the salary reform roadmap this month to submit to the Politburo for consideration and comments.

At today's Government meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized the spirit of "4 determinations", first of all, not backing down in the face of difficulties. Second, agencies are determined to "not say no, not say difficult, not say yes but not do".

Third, protect cadres who dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility for the common good, but also resolutely handle cases of harassment, negativity, evasion, and shirking of responsibility. Finally, units remove difficulties for people and businesses, promote production and business, create jobs, better livelihoods, and improve people's lives.

The Ministry of Finance implements policies on tax, fee and charge exemption, reduction and extension; accelerates value-added tax refunds; and promptly completes the draft Law on Value-Added Tax (amended). Revenues must be strictly controlled and "thoroughly save on expenditures and cut unnecessary expenditures".

The Ministry of Planning and Investment will soon appraise the planning of expressway projects under the PPP model such as Nam Dinh - Thai Binh and Gia Nghia - Chon Thanh. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will promote agricultural exports and ensure food security; strive to remove the EU yellow card in October.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has solutions to attract international visitors and soon submit to competent authorities the national target program on reviving and developing culture and building Vietnamese people.