New pay scale uncertain as advisers expresses dissatisfaction
Muhammad Ayub Ali :
The government has decided to temporarily withhold publication of the Ninth National Pay Commission report, as most advisers remain dissatisfied amid the country’s current economic challenges, sources said.
Increasing the salaries of only government employees may create discriminatory and put additional pressure on the government treasury, when common people struggle with high inflation
For implementing the new pay scale would require an additional Tk 1.06 lakh crore. The government currently spends Tk 1.31 lakh crore on 14 lakh employees and 9 lakh pensioners. Salaries could raise by 100–147 percent, with pensions, medical, and other allowances increasing at nearly the same rate.
Dr. Zahid Hussain, former Lead Economist at the World Bank’s Dhaka office, told The New Nation that the new pay scale is unfeasible considering the current economic situation, as it would require an additional Tk 1.06 lakh crore, raising the question of where the funds would come from.
Borrowing the money would put immense pressure on the entire economy, while generating the funds from revenue is not feasible, as past records have shown, he added.
The Advisory Council held an extensive discussion on the new salary structure at a meeting chaired by Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus in Tejgaon on Thursday
Meeting sources said several advisers warned that a steep pay hike for government employees would be discriminatory and fiscally risky amid high inflation, while noting political pressure to leave the decision to an elected government.
Following yesterday’s Advisory Council meeting on the new salary structure, a committee was to be formed to plan its implementation. However, the committee was not established due to advisers’ dissatisfaction.
As a result, implementing the new salary structure during this government’s tenure has become nearly uncertain. If not enacted now, the proposal may be reviewed inter-ministerially under the new Finance Minister and sent to the cabinet for approval, with the elected government potentially revising it
Meanwhile, Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed said no committee has yet been formed to implement the new salary structure. He added that work will begin once the committee is in place but did not comment on how the additional funds would be sourced
Under the new rules, 10th-grade employees would earn Tk 32,000, while 9th-grade employees would receive Tk 45,100—a difference of Tk 13,000. In comparison, salaries from grades 20 to 11 vary by just Tk 5,000, and grades 20–18 by only Tk 500.
After submitted pay commission report to the Chief Adviser last Wednesday, it has sparked widespread criticism, including on social media, with employees from several ministries expressing anger at the Secretariat yesterday.
Waresh Ali, Chief Coordinator of the Government Employees’ Demands Adhikari Oikya Parishad, said the Pay Commission’s recommendation failed to address employees’ key demands. They had called for a 1:4 grade ratio and a minimum basic salary of Tk 35,000, which the proposal did not implement.