Embassy Hanoi and Consulate General Ho Chi Minh - OIG - US ...

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
used to schedule employees for training needs improvement and explanation. The
LES handbook calls for an annual training assessment to be submitted with the
employee’s annual Performance Evaluation Report. Employees believe that they
are not to apply for needed training. They believe that their supervisor determines
who will receive training and applies for them. Perceptions of both favoritism and
abuse abound. The Ambassador has called for a comprehensive training plan; OIG
supports this initiative. An informal recommendation was made to clarify the
training application process.
Health Insurance
The present health insurance plan for FSNs provides coverage for employees
only. Family members are not covered. Employees said that medical care for those
without insurance coverage is less than adequate in terms of both care and facilities
available. In order to provide coverage, a co-pay by employees of about
$160.00 a year for each dependent would be required. The employee community is
divided between those who want and could pay for the coverage and those who
want the coverage but cannot afford the additional cost. The embassy is encouraging
the FSN community to reach a consensus before pursuing any change in the
health insurance contract.
The Wage Survey
The 2004 wage survey did not result in salary increases for FSNs. Employees
question the results because inflation is almost 10 percent, food prices rose over 13
percent, and employees at some comparator organizations received increases of
about 10 percent. In addition, living costs in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are
higher then those in the rest of the country. Although embassy management has
met several times with employee organizations in both the embassy and the consulate,
employees are still not sure that they have received a satisfactory explanation
of how the results of the survey were applied or even how the survey was conducted.
The perception is that the process is not as transparent as they understood
it would be. Embassy management continues to offer to meet with the FSNs to
again attempt to clarify the survey process.
Recommendation 11: Embassy Hanoi should evaluate the results of the
2004 wage survey, recommend corrections to the Department, if necessary,
and fully explain the survey process to the locally employed staff. (Action:
Embassy Hanoi)
OIG Report No. ISP-I-05-28A, Inspection of Embassy Hanoi and CG Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, September 2005
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
43 .