Pay scale: Decision on govt employees' salaries awaits commission report

Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed has said that a decision on the new pay scale for government officials and employees will be taken after receiving the report of the Pay Commission.

He said the commission’s 21 members are reviewing the matter in detail and will submit their report to the government soon.

He made the remarks today, Tuesday while responding to journalists’ questions after a meeting of the Advisory Council Committee on Government Procurement at the Secretariat.

The finance adviser said the work of the Pay Commission is progressing uninterruptedly. Various stakeholders have submitted their opinions and proposals to the commission—some in writing and some through direct meetings. Recommendations are being prepared after considering all aspects.

When asked whether the interim government would be able to announce the new pay scale before leaving office, Salehuddin Ahmed said the commission has 21 members who are examining everything thoroughly. There is also a separate report for the judiciary, and a subcommittee has been formed for defence-related matters.

Yesterday, the governor of Bangladesh Bank said that a new pay scale would not be possible before the election and would be implemented by the next government.

When journalists raised this issue, The Finance Adviser said the governor has no role in matters related to the pay scale.

The governor may express opinions on banking issues, but the pay scale is a matter of government decision, he added.

On 27 July last year, a Pay Commission headed by former finance secretary and chairman of the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation, Zakir Ahmed Khan, was formed to determine a new pay structure for government officials and employees.

The commission was instructed to submit its report within six months.

Currently, government officials and employees receive salaries and allowances under the 2015 pay scale. There are about 1.5 million government officials and employees at present.

The country has been experiencing high inflation for more than two years, reducing people’s real income. In this context, a new Pay Commission was formed to determine a revised pay scale.