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41 people passed the civil service examination and were employed at the Ruzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Pingdingshan City, Henan Province. However, after working for 4 months, they were told that their examination results were invalid and they were dismissed.

On August 22, a reporter from Shangyou News (reporting mailbox: [email protected]) learned that after receiving a report from a candidate that "the recruitment work violated regulations", the Pingdingshan Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision intervened in the investigation. After investigation, it was found that this recruitment was not approved by the superior competent department, and the restrictive qualification conditions for the application were set in violation of the regulations of the human resources and social security department on the open recruitment of public institutions. Based on this, the test results were invalidated.

The recruitment of civil servants was approved by the Ruzhou Municipal People's Government and a notice was issued. An insider said that the recruitment was reported by Ruzhou City, but there were problems with the procedures. The Pingdingshan Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau said that the recruitment was organized by Ruzhou City itself and the bureau was not aware of it.

The dismissed personnel passed the exam with their own efforts, and they feel aggrieved when they encountered such an unexpected change. How will they deal with it in the future? According to an informed source, according to his understanding, the Ruzhou Municipal Party Committee attaches great importance to this matter, and the relevant responsible persons have been dealt with. At present, some non-public employment positions have been coordinated for the recruitment units and dismissed personnel to choose from. In addition, the salaries of the dismissed personnel have been settled.

At present, the investigation into Ruzhou City’s civil service recruitment is still ongoing.

“Green light” recruitment

On August 29, 2022, the official website of the Ruzhou Talent Exchange Center of Henan Province released the "Ruzhou City 2022 Public Recruitment of Disease Prevention and Control Center Staff Announcement" (hereinafter referred to as the "Announcement"). The Center is a subordinate unit of the Ruzhou Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau.

Recruitment notice issued by Ruzhou Talent Exchange Center. Image source: Ruzhou Talent Exchange Center

The "Announcement" mentioned that this time, 50 staff members of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention will be recruited from the public. Adhere to the principles of openness, equality, competition and selection of the best, and adopt a combination of examination and inspection in accordance with the employment standards of both moral integrity and ability. The personnel recruited in this public recruitment are all staff members of public institutions with full financial budgets. After the proposed recruitment results are announced without objection, the recruiting unit shall fill in the "Ruzhou City Public Institutions Open Recruitment Staff Registration Form", which will be reviewed and filed by the municipal human resources and social insurance and compilation departments, and go through the relevant procedures. The probation period for first-time employees is 12 months, and the probation period for other employees is 3 months.

For people with work experience, this civil service recruitment has given the “green light”.

Upstream News reporters noticed that there are seven articles in the "Recruitment Scope and Conditions" announcement, of which articles 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 are "routine" requirements; the third article states that those born after January 1, 1987 and under the age of 35 (the age limit can be relaxed to 40 years old for master's students, doctoral students, and those who have participated in the front line of epidemic prevention and control in Ruzhou City and have more than five years of work experience in county-level disease prevention and control institutions); the fourth article mentions that the age limit can be appropriately relaxed for those who have a college degree or above, whose major is the same or similar to the major of the intended position, and who have participated in the front line of epidemic prevention and control in Ruzhou City and have more than five years of work experience in county-level disease prevention and control institutions.

According to people familiar with the matter, after the announcement was issued, many candidates applied for the job, which included written tests, interviews, physical examinations, and inspections. Candidates are divided into two categories: non-staff members of the Ruzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention and social candidates. Due to the epidemic, on February 1, 2024, 17 months after the recruitment announcement was issued, the official website of the Ruzhou Talent Exchange Center announced a list of 41 candidates to be hired.

Candidate Xiao Ning (pseudonym) said that on February 26, 2024, he received a call from the Ruzhou Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, informing him to go through the entry procedures. After filling out various forms and submitting files, he officially joined the Ruzhou Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention. After going to work, he learned that of the 41 people who joined this time, 28 were non-staff members of the former Ruzhou Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and 13 were social candidates.

The dismissal notice came before the establishment

After joining the company, the 41 people were assigned to various departments of Ruzhou Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Xiao Ning said that after he started working, the company did not pay him a monthly salary. His boss told him that it was temporary because he was a "full-budget" employee and the enrollment procedures were being processed.

Zhang Xinkuan, the head of Ruzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, issued the document Ru Disease Control (2024) No. 6: After being reviewed by the Ruzhou City 2022 Public Recruitment of Center for Disease Control and Prevention Staff Leading Group, it was announced on the website of Ruzhou Talent Exchange Center. There were no objections during the announcement period. Now the 41 people are being processed for enrollment. Please approve whether it is appropriate.

After receiving the above-mentioned Document No. 6, Hu Xianzeng, head of the Ruzhou Municipal Health Commission, issued Document No. 20: Now the 41 people are being processed for enrollment. The heading of the document is "Request for Enrollment Procedures for the Recruitment of Staff of Ruzhou Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2022", and the receiving unit of the document is Ruzhou Municipal Organization and Establishment Committee.

Ruzhou Municipal Health Commission's recruitment request document. Image source: provided by the interviewee

Upstream News reporters noticed that the 41 people were applying for the recruitment process while the "streamlining and reduction of staff" was being carried out. Ruzhou City officially announced that Ruzhou City will no longer retain public institutions with less than 5 staff in principle. Since 2023, the city's public institutions have streamlined 149 institutions, a streamlining ratio of 47%. The city's public institutions have streamlined 1,053 staff, a streamlining ratio of 20.7%.

Xiao Ning and others' recruitment notices have not arrived yet, but what they received was a notice of dismissal.

Xiao Ning said that on June 7, his supervisor told him that his recruitment results were invalid and asked him to "voluntarily resign." On June 17, he and 12 other social applicants were forced to resign. On July 1, 28 non-staff members of the Ruzhou Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention were also dismissed.

Xiao Ning felt that it was unfair, so she wrote a letter of voluntary resignation. "I am still young and I just graduated. Some of those who were fired with me have worked at the CDC for four or five years. I am much better off than them."

Xiaoqing (pseudonym) said that after graduating from university, she entered the Ruzhou Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention through a personnel agency. When the epidemic was at its worst, she stayed on the front line and slept in the office. She worked while waiting for the opportunity to "go ashore". Unexpectedly, this time she passed the exam, but was dismissed instead.

Investigation after reporting

According to an insider, during the recruitment process, a candidate reported that the recruitment violated relevant regulations. Subsequently, the Pingdingshan Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision intervened in the investigation, and "the candidate's report was the trigger for the dismissal."

Ruzhou City Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Image source/Interviewee

Xiao Ning recalled that 73 people entered the interview stage, 48 people entered the political review stage, and 7 people failed the political review because they did not meet the requirements. In April this year, the staff of the Pingdingshan Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision also contacted him to learn about the details of his experience before and after joining the company.

Xiao Ning said: "Many people who joined the company were asked about their situations in great detail. They asked about the recruitment process and whether there was any internal support. My answer was that I took the exam after seeing the announcement, and the invigilator was transferred from another place. I finally got the job on my own. I was a self-taught candidate, so I don't know whether there was any internal support. But objectively speaking, they were familiar with working here, and most of them got the hang of things faster than I did."

On the afternoon of August 17, after the "41 people were dismissed" incident attracted public attention, the Ruzhou Municipal Health Commission issued a notice stating that the Ruzhou Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention did not obtain approval from the superior competent department during the recruitment process, and illegally set restrictive application qualification conditions, violating the relevant regulations of the human resources and social security department on public recruitment of public institutions. Therefore, the recruitment plan was judged invalid and the recruitment results were invalidated. The relevant responsible units and persons were severely punished by party discipline and administrative sanctions and organizational handling for their violations.

The head of the relevant department of the Pingdingshan Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau said in an interview with China Radio International that Ruzhou City's recruitment plan was not reported, and was organized and hired by the local government on its own, and the bureau did not participate.

Pingdingshan officials said that from the perspective of the candidates who were dismissed, they were indeed wronged. At present, Pingdingshan City requires Ruzhou City to do a good job in the aftermath of the dismissal of the personnel. "From the perspective of some people who were rejected in the interview, will those who used to work at the CDC be given preferential treatment during the interview and inspection? Is there any subjective factor involved in this? How to define it? Is it really fair?"

Provide non-professional positions

Multiple documents indicate that the notice on the implementation plan for this recruitment in Ruzhou was issued by the Ruzhou Municipal People's Government. This may mean that this recruitment is not "in charge" of the Ruzhou Municipal Health Commission or the Ruzhou Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Even the Ruzhou Municipal People's Government did not know what procedures to follow when recruiting? Did the recruitment need to be reported to the Pingdingshan Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau? The above-mentioned insider said: "It was reported. How could it not be reported when recruiting so many civil servants? Now it seems that there is a problem with the procedures."

Upstream News reporters learned that the Pingdingshan Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau failed to supervise effectively during this recruitment, and the Pingdingshan Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision has issued supervisory recommendations to the bureau.

The candidates who were dismissed felt aggrieved, how to deal with it later? According to people familiar with the matter, Ruzhou City attaches great importance to the follow-up work of dismissed personnel, and the relevant staff explained the reasons to the dismissed personnel one by one, and strived to gain their understanding. At present, after coordination with the relevant departments of the city, in line with the principle of actual needs, some non-public employment positions were provided to the dismissed personnel, "this is a two-way choice."

Upstream News reporters learned that some of the people who were dismissed have already returned to work in other units.

How to solve the problem of not receiving salary for more than four months at Ruzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention? An insider said that they have been paid according to relevant regulations and laws. "How can we not get paid if we have done the work?"

The above-mentioned Pingdingshan official said that the Pingdingshan Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision intervened in the investigation to maintain overall fairness and ensure that the recruitment of public institutions in Pingdingshan is strictly in accordance with the system. The Pingdingshan Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision has asked the Pingdingshan Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau to fulfill its responsibilities and do a good job in supervising the recruitment work. When problems are found, they should be corrected in a timely manner to avoid "making mistakes on top of mistakes."

Upstream News reporter Shen Du