Pay commission proposes major salary hike for govt employees
Staff Reporter :
The National Pay Commission is set to submit a report proposing a substantial revision of the government pay scale, including a doubling of basic salaries under the new structure.
If the recommendations are approved, the minimum basic salary will be raised to Tk20,000, while the maximum basic salary will increase to Tk1,60,000. The revised structure will continue to have 20 grades.
Existing allowances and facilities will remain in force alongside the new pay scale. Under the proposed structure, an employee in the lowest grade (20th grade) posted in Dhaka would receive a total monthly salary of around Tk42,000 after adding applicable allowances.
According to the recommendations, the Boishakhi allowance for government officials and employees will be increased from 20 percent to 50 percent of the basic salary.
The Pay Commission has also suggested expanding travel allowances, which are currently applicable to employees in grades 11 to 20, to include those in grades 10 to 20.
The proposal also includes a significant increase in pensions. Pensioners receiving less than Tk20,000 per month would see their pensions doubled.
Those receiving between Tk20,000 and Tk40,000 would get a 75 percent increase, while pensioners drawing more than Tk40,000 per month would receive a 55 percent hike.
Pay Commission Chairman and former Finance Secretary Zakir Ahmed Khan told the media, “We will submit the report to the Chief Adviser today. I can say this much—something very good is happening. We are presenting a strong and positive proposal.”
The interim government formed the Pay Commission on July 24 to prepare a new salary structure for government employees, with instructions to submit its report within six months.
After several deadline extensions, the commission is now preparing to hand over the report today, Wednesday, though there is uncertainty over whether the current government will be able to complete the process.
At present, government employees are paid under the 2015 pay scale, which has 20 grades. Around 1.5 million government officials and employees receive salaries and allowances under this structure.
Under the existing scale, the minimum basic salary in the 20th grade is Tk8,250 per month. A Grade-9 officer entering the civil service through the BCS examination receives a basic salary of Tk22,000.
At the top level, a secretary draws Tk78,000 as basic salary, a senior secretary Tk82,000, while the cabinet secretary and the principal secretary to the prime minister receive Tk86,000.
In addition to basic pay, government employees are entitled to allowances for house rent, medical expenses and transportation, along with other benefits. They also receive two festival allowances annually and a Bengali New Year allowance equivalent to 20 percent of their basic salary.