>> Golf ban for below par Transport Ministry performance
Transport Minister Dinh La Thang’s recent golf-playing ban on ministry staff is the violation of employee rights according to a justice official.
 |
| Transport Minister Dinh La Thang’s recent golf-playing ban on ministry staff is the violation of employee, said Dr. Le Hong Son, Head of the Ministry of Justice\'s Department for Examination of Legal Documents |
Dr. Le Hong Son, Head of the Ministry of Justice\'s Department for Examination of Legal Documents, said the document that Minister Thang signed on October 17 on the prohibition was unrealistic, adding that, “Why is only golf not allowed; not tennis and badminton?”
The document violates employment rights as laid out in legislation dealing with state employees. If they play golf during the working hours, they should be punished, but it is an abuse of power to ban them from this activity on their days off and during holidays.
“We recognise the enthusiasm of some newly-appointed leaders; however, this should be based on an understanding of their own rights as well as rights of others. We are preparing a document to ask the Ministry of Transport to withdraw the regulation,” Son noted.
The department will also inspect documents on dividing road lanes in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City issued by the Transport Minister.
Earlier, Thang requested senior officials of state-owned companies under the ministry, leaders and officials of the ministry’s agencies and departments not to organise, participate in or play golf in order to concentrate more on their work.
It is thought that golf was singled out for disciplinary measures because golf tournaments often take more than a day to conclude, while ministerial staff assigned to work projects that are currently under implementation do not normally have days off.
The draconian measure has been implemented to combat the sluggish implementation of a series of key infrastructure projects.