Public servants are being promised bigger pay cheques from July 1 but Finance Minister AMA Muhith said nothing about this after the announcement of the budget for fiscal year 2015-16.
Government officials have expressed frustration at this, and are worried that the National Pay Commission’s recommendations might not be implemented on time.
The finance minister last year promised to implement the pay commission’s recommendations from January 1 this year but the government has allocated an additional Tk25,553 crore in the next fiscal year’s budget for payment of the first phase of the new pay scale in line with recommendations made by the review committee on the National Pay Commission.
Finance Division officials said there is enough allocation in the next budget, including Tk5,000 crore for implementation of the monthly pay order to selective schools and colleges and pay hike of the existing MPO schools and colleges.
Besides, Tk10,295 crore is hidden in assistance and grant head to pay salaries of civil servants and Tk5,000 crore for teachers of MPO schools and colleges.
According to Finance Division officials, lawmakers would pressure the finance minister to give monthly pay order to new schools and colleges which is why the finance minister refused to say when the new pay scale would be implemented.
Meanwhile, in the outgoing fiscal year’s revised budget, a total of Tk14,374 crore has been earmarked for paying salaries of civil servants and defence staff.
In the next fiscal year’s proposed budget, Tk29,628 crore has been allocated for paying salaries of civil servants and defence staff along with those engaged in development projects.
General Secretary of Bangladesh Secretariat Administration Association Abdul Mannaf told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday: “We will place our demands before the finance minister after he returns from Dubai where he went to attend the Islamic Development Bank’s board meeting.”
He said Muhith was expected to be back on June 13.
“The National Pay Commission’s recommendations will be implemented in the next two years which will have a negative impact on market prices. That is why we will demand immediate implementation of the commission’s recommendations. It will mean huge losses for government employees if pay scale recommendations are not implemented in one go,” said Mannaf.
“Government officials would face permanent financial losses after implementation of the pay scale as the time scale and section grades were not included in the recommendations.”
