Hasina assures salary hike for 1mn public servants

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina: “Another pay scale was supposed to be implemented from this month; It’s almost ready and we’ll do it.”

By Mizan Rahman/DhakaBangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government will implement the new pay scale for 1mn public servants soon.The hike seeks to double the salaries of government officials and employees.“Another pay scale was supposed to be implemented from this month. It’s almost ready and we’ll do it,” she said in her introductory speech at a meeting with senior officials of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).PM’s principal secretary Abul Kalam Azad moderated the meeting while advisers to the prime minister and heads and senior officials of PMO-affiliated organisations were present on the occasion.Earlier, the prime minister said, her government gave pay scale for public servants in 2009. “The salary and allowance hike for the government staff in that pay scale were not nominal … it was a handsome one,” she said.The government will need around 145bn taka more in the current fiscal year for implementing the first phase of the new pay scale in line with the recommendations by the review committee on the national pay commission, said finance ministry officials.Of the amount, around 100bn taka will be required to pay salaries of civil servants and the rest for defence staff and teachers getting monthly pay order (MPO).In the budget for the current fiscal year, 190.40bn taka has been allocated for paying salaries of civil servants, defence staff and teachers receiving MPO.The secretary-level committee was formed on December 31 to review the reports of the national pay commission led by Mohammed Farashuddin and the pay commission for the armed forces division.The national pay commission handed over its report to Finance Minister AMA Muhith on December 21 while the one for the armed forces submitted its report a couple of days later.According to the commission report, for full implementation of its recommendations, the government will need 229.53bn taka in addition to the budgetary allocations of 360.17bn taka in the current fiscal year.The amount doesn’t include the expenditure on salaries and allowances for defence staff.The commission recommended 100% rise in basic salaries of government staffs on average in all grades.It also approved raising basic salary of the lowest grade to 8,200 taka from 4,100 taka.The commission recommended cutting down the number of grades to 16 from existing 20. It also recommended maximum basic salary is 80,000 taka, up from exiting 40,000 taka.Outside the grades, 88,000 taka has been recommended as basic pay for Senior Secretaries instead of existing 42,000 taka. An amount of 1,00,000 taka monthly basic salary has been proposed for the Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary to the prime minister.