New pay scale may be announced anytime: Principal Secretary

The new pay scale for government employees may be announced at any time, said Prime Minister's Principal Secretary A B M Abdus Sattar. He said the government is firm on implementing the promised new pay scale, and the matter is now in its final stage.

Speaking to journalists at the Secretariat on Sunday, he said with no new pay scale for 11-12 years, the salaries of about 18 lakh officials and employees have become inconsistent with inflation. He stressed the need to restore the continuity of pay scale revisions every five to six years.

However, he acknowledged that implementing the new pay scale could put additional pressure on inflation. "This may be somewhat difficult for the public, but officials and employees also need to adjust their living standards with inflation," he said.

The 9th National Pay Commission has recommended nearly doubling the basic pay of government employees. The proposal suggests raising the minimum basic pay from Tk 8,250 to Tk 20,000 and the maximum from Tk 78,000 to Tk 1,60,000.

According to the commission, implementing these recommendations would require an additional expenditure of approximately Tk 1,06,000 crore. The government currently spends around Tk 1,31,000 crore annually on employees and pensioners.

On the economy, he said the government's biggest challenge now is the economy and the banking sector. He expressed hope that the pressure on production chains caused by the energy and power crisis would gradually normalise.