Chapter 612: Year-end assessment!

At the end of November, the Provincial Party Committee convened a standing committee meeting, involving three agenda items concerning Lu Fan: the year-end target responsibility assessment, the progress of work on retiring off-contract personnel, and personnel adjustments.

When discussing the assessment work, Lu Fan said: "This year's provincial assessment indicators, the Organization Department will adjust the content, evaluation methods, and calculation procedures of 80 positive indicators and 19 negative indicators, improve and perfect the indicator system, truly leveraging the assessment work as a guiding baton, wind vane, and accelerator, to guide all-level departments to precisely target, concentrate efforts, and empower provincial economic development."

Unlike before, this year's assessment must have clear rewards and punishments, judging superiority and inferiority, discussing heroes based on results. Those ranking in the top three or showing such progress will be commended and given priority for promotion and reuse of cadres; those whose rankings have fallen and declined significantly will be collectively talked to, focusing on analysis and prudent adjustment of cadres; for the city-county and department ranking last, the top leader must firmly adjust their work positions, closely targeting those who shirk responsibility, do nothing, act recklessly, or pretend to act, brandishing the sword against laziness and negligence in governance!

This point emphasized by Lu Fan at the end drew great attention from the standing committee members. Everyone present has a group of followers beneath them; everyone knows Lu Fan takes work seriously, and adjusting the last-place ranking is definitely not just talk—after the meeting he will certainly hold them accountable, so they don't bring disaster upon themselves.

The sixth agenda item, Lu Fan reported on the progress of retiring off-contract personnel.

Lu Fan said: "In this baseline survey process, a large number of outsourced personnel who do not meet hiring requirements, hiring period, hiring position, and have not signed labor contracts have been exposed. All levels and departments must attach great importance, from the height of speaking politically and considering the overall situation, fully recognize the importance of this cleanup and retirement work, earnestly implement its policies and principles, avoid perfunctory handling and going through the motions, and truly organize the cleanup and retirement of off-contract personnel in their own units."

I emphasize work discipline: for those who should be retired off-contract but conceal or misreport, delay the retirement process, or falsify information, once verified, the principal leaders of their units will be given strict punishment according to relevant regulations.

Next steps in the retirement work require three categories to be retired: off-contract personnel hired without approval shall all be retired; off-contract personnel used at service windows shall all be retired; off-contract personnel in fully staffed or overstaffed units must be retired.

The cleanup and retirement work follows the principle 'who uses personnel, who is responsible, who retires,' and the above three categories must be completed by December.

Taking January 1, 2026 as the time node, we lock in the baseline and total expenditure of off-contract personnel. On this basis, off-contract hires will only decrease, not increase; according to labor-dispatch and public-welfare position contracts, we will retire one upon expiration, completing the province-wide off-contract personnel retirement within three years. The saved fiscal funds will be truly used on the 'cutting edge', reducing government labor costs, preventing improper hiring practices, strengthening agency efficiency, and promoting the building of a resource-conserving government.

Governor Liu Linghao explicitly expressed his support, emphasizing that the provincial government and its constituent departments must complete the retirement work according to the timeline; he knows without calculation that it can save a large sum of funds each year, and now even the 'three guarantees' are difficult—retiring off-contract personnel is wholly beneficial and harmless to him.

Secretary Wang Jingchen said: "The retirement work is of great significance; reform will inevitably touch some people's interests, and causing pain is unavoidable. We must fully understand the contradictions and difficulties reform faces, bravely break through the barriers of entrenched interests, needing both the courage of a brave warrior to cut off his own wrist and the wisdom of many strategies and sound judgment, as well as preparing for long-term effort to ensure reform advances smoothly in depth. The top leaders of all cities, counties, and departments are the primary persons responsible for retirement work; they must properly conduct ideological work with those to be retired, and whoever has problems, I will handle them."

The final agenda item is personnel matters, a small-scale adjustment; the standing committee members all know the situation, so no one will act clueless and jump out to oppose.

The director of the Office of the Provincial Organization Department was promoted to head of the Municipal Organization Department of Three Gates City; Section Chief Fan Yanjun of the Third Cadres Section was promoted to Vice Mayor of Xu City; Head Cheng Zexin of the Discipline Inspection Group stationed at the Provincial Party Committee General Office of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee was promoted to Deputy Secretary-General of the Provincial Party Committee; Lu Fan reaped abundant rewards!

Reform is the driving force of social progress; looking back at historical reforms, they all propelled historical development, safeguarded the people's interests, and earned societal recognition.

Reform is like cutting out a malignant tumor; it inevitably touches some people's cheese, causing pain, but not reforming brings lasting pain. When problems arise, not reforming allows ulcers to become serious harm, shrinking back and lacking vitality.

Throughout December, many people felt unable to accept the situation, feeling wronged and despondent, feeling pessimistic and disheartened, and some even despised life and committed suicide over this, resulting in many petition cases.

For an entire month, Lu Fan traveled back and forth among the cities, personally handling many petition cases, doing his utmost within policy limits to compensate the losses of laid-off personnel and give them humane care; his mood was also quite heavy.

But Lu Fan's determination to retire off-contract personnel did not waver in the slightest, because reform is the trend of social development and the people's will. Anything that conforms to the overall, long-term, and people's interests must have firm confidence in reform, strengthen resolve, eliminate all interference, and push reform forward in depth.

He firmly believes that as long as the direction stays steady and the method is correct, even with myriad difficulties, the new era's Huayuan will surely cleave waves, break through clouds and mist, and gallop toward a spring of myriad colors.

Leadership's high regard is the fundamental guarantee for work to proceed smoothly and achieve success; nowadays Lu Fan in Huayuan is prominent, his position is of great importance, and he possesses absolute authority. No one dares to slack off on the work he oversees, and Three Gates City is a living lesson.

After the New Year holiday, the retirement leadership team obtained the retirement ledgers from all levels and departments; the three categories of off-contract personnel that must be retired have completely exited the historical stage, leaving province-wide off-contract personnel limited to public-welfare positions, labor-dispatch roles, and those that have passed strict government approval, all recorded in the Provincial Organization Department.

Next, we will strictly manage the ledgers of these three categories of personnel, retiring them one by one as their contracts expire.

Previously, the toughest, most exhausting physical labor in units—work requiring real effort, or needing to go to the grassroots, work night shifts, or travel out of town—was basically done by off-contract personnel.

After the off-contract personnel were retired, the on-contract staff complained bitterly, each person having to juggle multiple roles, with workload and labor intensity accordingly increasing, even the leaders began to feel irritable.

If resentment could kill, Lu Fan's soul would have long flown away and scattered; complaints arise everywhere, and behind the backs countless people curse him.

"I'm dying of busyness! All twenty off-contract workers have left, we forty on-contract staff are about to die from busyness, Lu Fan is really idle and causing trouble!"

"Before, we basically didn't have to work—clock in at 8, arrive by 9, leave before 10 to go home, in the afternoon go if you want, stay if you don't, and anyway bonuses wouldn't be less. Damn it, from now on the bitter days will never end—who the hell came up with this damn idea?"

"Getting into the official staff is just to avoid work; otherwise why take the exam? Ah, without off-contract personnel, we'll just work slower—after all it's not a big mistake, and we might even lose our jobs."

……

All kinds of voices reached Lu Fan's ears, but he snorted in contempt; such bitter complaints are also in vain—you take the state's money, so you must do this job. Saying you're too old, your eyesight is poor and you can't handle computers, saying your back and waist ache and you can't do dirty, tiring work, saying your skills are rusty, saying you can't lose face, sitting at the window smiling and serving others… all are nonsense!

Did those who initially passed the exam into the on-contract staff not work at all? Is one test a lifetime guarantee? If you lack the ability to earn this money, then don't eat cold noodles and sit on stools; the country lacks not talent but positions!

Its root also lies in improving the system and mechanisms, in supervision and management, in increasing the intensity of performance assessments, and in public oversight—this is what Lu Fan has recently been pondering as a key focus.

Time flies, days like shuttles; unnoticed, 2026 has arrived!

After the December economic indicators are submitted, the provincial year-end target responsibility assessment officially kicks off.

Tonight is different from the past; all cities, counties, and provincial departments have received the news that the last-place ranking will have their positions adjusted, causing great attention and panic; many wonder when did being an official come with a last-place elimination system? This is literally risking one's life!

Complaints aside, the whole province is energized, the atmosphere of striving for advancement is fully charged, the list-style approach will make tasks clear to individuals, transmit pressure to individuals, and realize rewards and punishments for individuals, continuously boosting the vigor of leading cadres to undertake ventures.

To reduce the pressure on grassroots units facing inspections, Huayuan Province this year is conducting the 'Five-item Assessment' in a concentrated manner.

On January 10, the Provincial Party Committee convened a provincial mobilization meeting for the 'Five-item Assessment', mobilizing work on implementinging the Party conduct and clean government responsibility system, advancing the punishment-prevention system construction assessment, leadership cadres' annual assessment, target responsibility system evaluation, and social management comprehensive governance evaluation, etc. Deputy Secretary Lu Fan attended the meeting and delivered the mobilization speech, while Standing Committee member and Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary Zhao Lingyun chaired the meeting.

Lu Fan emphasized that the Provincial Party Committee decided to concentrate and unify the 'Five-item Assessment' to reduce grassroots inspection pressure; the province should proceed according to the principle of 'unified deployment, blockwise implementation, having both combination and separation, coordinated arrangement', comprehensively using multiple methods to fully understand the five-item work conditions of inspected localities and units, and make scientifically reasonable evaluations. Assessment teams must strictly observe the spirit of the Eight Regulations, provincial assessment requirements, work discipline, and confidentiality discipline. They should use the assessment as an opportunity to lay the foundation for the next step of adjusting and utilizing cadres.

Zhao Lingyun put forward clear requirements for the coordination and cooperation in doing well the 'Five-item Assessment' work and strengthening organizational leadership.

After the meeting, the provincial 'Five-in-One' comprehensive assessment work business training conference was held at the Provincial Party Committee Party School, conducting three days of comprehensive training.

On January 13, led by Deputy Secretary Lu Fan and Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary Zhao Lingyun, 15 inspection and assessment teams were established to conduct on-site inspections and assessments of all cities, industrial concentration zones, and 60 provincial-level government units.