Pay Commission to recommend Thursday
Rejaul Karim Byron
The
Pay and Service Commission may recommend hikes by 100 to 147 percent in
the basic salaries to reduce corruption and give a share of development
taken place in last two decades to the government service holders.
The Commission may submit its report to the finance minister next Thursday with recommendations for pay hikes and possibly various allowances and benefits.
Earlier in November this year, the 17-member Eighth Pay and Service Commission was formed headed by former Bangladesh Bank governor Dr Mohammad Farashuddin.
Insiders say the highest basic salary is likely to be around Tk 80,000 which is at present Tk 40,000, while the lowest scale might be increased to Tk 10,100 from existing Tk 4,100.
The existing 20 grades may also be decreased to 15, with grades between 10 and 20 are likely to be merged more than the top half, they add.
Besides, recommendations would be made for providing various benefits and allowances like life insurance, health insurance, accident insurance and education allowance for children of the government service holders.
For the first time parents are being considered as members of the family of the public servants while calculating expenditures of a single family unit.
A member of the Commission observes that the government staff are ill-paid and this, they think, is one of the main reasons behind rampant corruption in the country.
Moreover, the existing poor salary structure fails to attract meritorious jobseekers and results in deterioration in quality of government services day by day, the member adds.
Another member of the Commission informs that they are going to suggest a salary structure in line with the pay scales of government staff in neighbouring countries, especially in India.
In India, the highest salary of a government service holder is Rs 80,000. However, in some selective posts including that of the cabinet secretary it is Rs 90,000. If other facilities enjoyed by them are taken into account, the highest salary amounts to around Rs 2 lakh in the neighbouring country.
However, if rupee is converted to taka and the purchasing power is taken into consideration, salary in Indian civil service is much higher in context of Bangladesh currency.
Talking to The Daily Star, another member of the Commission says it is not expected that corruption will drop and quality of government services improve overnight. However, to make that happen, the first step is increasing the salary followed by other overdue reforms in the civil service, the member adds.
Available statistics show the amount of GDP was Tk 2,73,200 crore in 2001-02 fiscal year, whereas the amount was Tk 13,50,920 crore in the last fiscal.
Though the country's economy has seen much progress in the last two decades, the civil servants did not benefit from it, observes another member of the Commission.
The member adds they have considered this fact while making the recommendations, but how much the government can implement depends on its economic capability.
In the budget for the current FY Tk 28,709 crore has been allotted for around 13 lakh government staff.
In August 2008, the then military-backed caretaker government formed a 13-member pay commission headed by former secretary M Mustafizur Rahman.
The Seventh Pay Commission took 14 months to submit its recommendations and the subsequent Awami League-led government implemented the pay rise retrospective from July 2009.
The Sixth Pay Commission was formed in July 2004, the fifth in September 1996, the fourth in July 1989, the third in 1984, the second in February 1976 and the first in July 1972.
The pay scale that came into effect in 1973 had 10 grades and the highest salary was Tk 2,000 and the lowest Tk 130. In 1977 the grades were converted to 20.
The Commission may submit its report to the finance minister next Thursday with recommendations for pay hikes and possibly various allowances and benefits.
Earlier in November this year, the 17-member Eighth Pay and Service Commission was formed headed by former Bangladesh Bank governor Dr Mohammad Farashuddin.
Insiders say the highest basic salary is likely to be around Tk 80,000 which is at present Tk 40,000, while the lowest scale might be increased to Tk 10,100 from existing Tk 4,100.
The existing 20 grades may also be decreased to 15, with grades between 10 and 20 are likely to be merged more than the top half, they add.
Besides, recommendations would be made for providing various benefits and allowances like life insurance, health insurance, accident insurance and education allowance for children of the government service holders.
For the first time parents are being considered as members of the family of the public servants while calculating expenditures of a single family unit.
A member of the Commission observes that the government staff are ill-paid and this, they think, is one of the main reasons behind rampant corruption in the country.
Moreover, the existing poor salary structure fails to attract meritorious jobseekers and results in deterioration in quality of government services day by day, the member adds.
Another member of the Commission informs that they are going to suggest a salary structure in line with the pay scales of government staff in neighbouring countries, especially in India.
In India, the highest salary of a government service holder is Rs 80,000. However, in some selective posts including that of the cabinet secretary it is Rs 90,000. If other facilities enjoyed by them are taken into account, the highest salary amounts to around Rs 2 lakh in the neighbouring country.
However, if rupee is converted to taka and the purchasing power is taken into consideration, salary in Indian civil service is much higher in context of Bangladesh currency.
Talking to The Daily Star, another member of the Commission says it is not expected that corruption will drop and quality of government services improve overnight. However, to make that happen, the first step is increasing the salary followed by other overdue reforms in the civil service, the member adds.
Available statistics show the amount of GDP was Tk 2,73,200 crore in 2001-02 fiscal year, whereas the amount was Tk 13,50,920 crore in the last fiscal.
Though the country's economy has seen much progress in the last two decades, the civil servants did not benefit from it, observes another member of the Commission.
The member adds they have considered this fact while making the recommendations, but how much the government can implement depends on its economic capability.
In the budget for the current FY Tk 28,709 crore has been allotted for around 13 lakh government staff.
In August 2008, the then military-backed caretaker government formed a 13-member pay commission headed by former secretary M Mustafizur Rahman.
The Seventh Pay Commission took 14 months to submit its recommendations and the subsequent Awami League-led government implemented the pay rise retrospective from July 2009.
The Sixth Pay Commission was formed in July 2004, the fifth in September 1996, the fourth in July 1989, the third in 1984, the second in February 1976 and the first in July 1972.
The pay scale that came into effect in 1973 had 10 grades and the highest salary was Tk 2,000 and the lowest Tk 130. In 1977 the grades were converted to 20.
Published: 12:00 am Sunday, December 07, 2014
Last modified: 12:38 am Sunday, December 07, 2014
