Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has welcomed the cabinet’s approval of the new national pay scale for government employees but called for its implementation to be made conditional on annual disclosure of income, expenditure and assets by employees and their dependent family members.
In a statement on Monday, TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said the decision to implement the new pay scale in three phases was reasonable despite the government’s financial constraints.
He said salary and allowances needed to be commensurate with the cost of living to ensure professional excellence and corruption-free public services.
“However, to ensure that the increased salaries and allowances funded by taxpayers’ money deliver the desired benefits, the requirement for government employees at all levels and their dependent family members to update and disclose their income and assets annually must be enforced,” he said.
He said the increased salaries and allowances should apply only to employees who regularly update and disclose their income, expenditure and asset declarations.
Iftekharuzzaman said many government employees perform their duties honestly and remain free from corruption and irregularities, making the new pay scale justified and necessary for them.
“On the other hand, for those engaged in acquiring illicit wealth and assets through dishonesty, irregularities, corruption and abuse of power, such benefits are not only unjustified but entirely unnecessary,” he said.
He warned that implementing the pay scale across the board without effective accountability mechanisms could further increase corruption in the public sector.
Referring to the government’s expectation that the new pay structure would improve the financial security and motivation of employees and help build an efficient, dynamic and people-oriented public administration, the TIB executive director said similar expectations had surrounded the eighth pay scale, implemented in 2015.
“Salaries and allowances increased, but the extent and depth of irregularities, corruption and bribery in government institutions escalated even faster,” he said.
“We would like to believe that this time will be different. Mandatory disclosure of asset declarations must be ensured as a globally tested approach to controlling corruption in the public sector; otherwise, citizens will have no way to escape the vicious cycle of corruption.”
Iftekharuzzaman also warned that higher salaries and allowances could put further pressure on the prices of essential commodities and contribute to inflation, particularly affecting low-income earners.
He urged the government to take necessary measures to address the inflationary risks and ensure the implementation of the asset-disclosure condition alongside the new pay scale.
