Tk 20,000 min, 160,000 max salary for govt staff proposed

The 9th National Pay Commission has recommended raising the minimum basic salary for government employees from Tk 8,250 to Tk 20,000 and the maximum from Tk 78,000 to Tk 160,000.

The commission has kept 20 pay scales unchanged.

To implement the proposed hikes alongside allowances, an additional Tk 1.06 trillion will be required, said commission chief and former finance secretary Zakir Ahmed Khan.

The 23 member commission submitted its report to Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna on Wednesday.

The government now spends Tk 1.31 trillion annually on salaries for 1.4 million employees and pensions for 900,000 retirees.

Finance Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed, Special Assistant to the Chief Advisor Anisuzzaman Chowdhury, Finance Secretary Md Khairuzzaman Mozumder and all commission members were present at the submission.

Salehuddin said the next step is implementation.

"A committee will be formed to work on the method of execution," he added.

The commission was formed on Jul 27 last year with a six month deadline, later extended to Feb 14.

It submitted the report three weeks early.

This is the first Pay Commission in 12 years, since the eighth was formed in 2013.

Yunus welcomed the report, saying: "This is a huge task. People have waited a long time. From the outline, I can see it is very creative work."
The commission noted that global and national economic indicators have changed significantly over the past decade, with prices of essentials rising sharply, making it difficult for civil servants to cope.

To prepare realistic recommendations, the commission held 184 meetings online and offline, gathered opinions from 2,552 individuals, and consulted associations.

New proposals include introducing health insurance for government employees, reforming pensions, restructuring the welfare board, forming a service commission, rationalising pay grades and allowances, and strengthening human resources in health and education.