A secretary committee meeting chaired by Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani at the secretariat on Wednesday took five key policy and strategic decisions to finalise the framework for the ninth pay scale for government employees.
Addressing inflation and the rising cost of essential goods were listed as the central priorities of the new scale, with improving the living standards of lower-income employees and reducing salary disparities set as the meeting’s main agenda items. Meeting sources said that while consensus was reached on public administration sector recommendations, proposals relating to the judiciary and the armed forces remain unresolved and were extensively discussed. Members attending the meeting declined to comment to the press on the percentage salary increase or the phasing arrangements.
A related source said employees currently on pre-retirement leave (LPR) would also be covered by the ninth pay scale.
The government’s target is to make the new pay scale effective from 1 July. Though legal and administrative processes may mean it takes two to three months before employees receive the increase in their pay packets, it will be effective from 1 July and any arrears paid retroactively.
While the initial plan envisaged three implementation phases, the committee has now decided to proceed in two phases in response to employees’ demands. Given financial constraints, employees in grades 10 to 20 will receive 60 per cent of the increase in the first phase, while grades 1 to 9 will receive 40 per cent in the first phase.
A special roadmap is also being developed to address long-standing grade-based disparities for employees in grades 11 to 20. In addition to raising basic pay, the meeting stressed the importance of significantly increasing house-rent and medical allowances in line with current market conditions.
Legal vetting and revision of regulations are being completed quickly to ensure no legal or technical problems arise after the pay scale is announced.
Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani said at the end of the meeting that discussions had been highly productive and that the decisions would bring relief to government employees. Administrative and legal steps are now being completed and officials are waiting for a gazette notification to be issued promptly.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report