Prompting frustration and anger among public servants who had expected an announcement within months, Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed said the formation of a new pay commission for government employees will be decided by the next elected government.
His remarks came after the Economic Affairs Advisory Council meeting at the Secretariat on Sunday, sparking discontent among government officials who had anticipated a long-awaited salary revision early next year.
Many employees, particularly those at the Secretariat and district administrations, told Dhaka Tribune they now plan to press the interim government to implement the new pay scale before the polls.
The adviser’s statement immediately drew criticism from government employees across the country who said they had been waiting a decade for a salary revision.
Officials said that they were preparing to push for implementation of the new pay scale at the start of the new year.
“We were told the new scale would be announced early next year. This sudden deferral is deeply disappointing,” said a Secretariat officer.
The commission, headed by former finance secretary Zakir Ahmed Khan, was formed on July 27 to recommend the ninth national pay scale.
It was asked to submit its report within six months, aiming to double basic salaries and revise allowances across 20 existing grades.
Under preliminary proposals, the maximum basic pay for grade-1 officers could rise to Tk1.56 lakh, and the minimum to Tk16,500.
Sources in the Finance Division said implementing the pay scale would increase government expenditure by Tk65,000–80,000 crore annually, posing a major fiscal challenge for the interim administration.
The current allocation for salaries and allowances stands at Tk84,684 crore for FY2025–26, already up by Tk2,000 crore from last year.
Officials said the government had decided to leave the implementation decision to the next administration to ensure budgetary support and revenue adjustments could be managed under a stable political mandate.
However, government employees argue that the delay ignores rising living costs.
“Our expenses have doubled, but our pay hasn’t. We were finally hopeful, and now we’re back to uncertainty,” said Akbar Hossain, a Gazipur district administration employee.
Nizam Uddin Ahmed, secretary general of the Bangladesh Secretariat Officers and Employees
Coordinated Council, said the finance adviser’s remarks “hit like a blow.”
He added: “When everything was nearly final, this announcement has angered officials nationwide. We’ll soon meet to decide how to press the interim government to implement the new pay scale.”
Economists note that with inflation at 8.36% in September and fiscal pressures from subsidies, debt repayments, and MPO expansions, the interim government may have little room for additional spending.
But analysts warn that delaying the pay scale could intensify unrest within one of the country’s largest workforce sectors.