BB's separate pay plan sent back for further scrutiny

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The government returned a central bank proposal to establish a separate pay scale for its employees, saying it needed further scrutiny, said the finance adviser Monday, reports bdnews24.com.
Finance Adviser AB Mirza Azizul Islam said, "We've asked for the proposal to be examined further."
The decision came at the first meeting of the advisory council committee on salary structure, chaired by the finance adviser.
Officials present at the meeting told the news agency that the proposed pay scale for Bangladesh Bank (BB) officials would have increased its expenditure by 51 per cent, with bonuses alone coming to over Tk 87.80 million (8.78 crore) a year.
Besides, a salary hike in the name of a separate pay scale could encourage other government officials to do the same.
According to BB officials, the central bank made the proposal for a separate pay scale under the auspices of the donor-funded Central Bank Strengthening Project.
Central bank officials, who asked not to be named, said their counterparts in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are currently getting higher salaries than them.
However, the council has made more encouraging sounds regarding three other proposals discussed at the meeting.
The finance adviser said they were seeking to bring greater balance to the pay scales of National Security Intelligence (NSI) personnel and the members of the police force.
He added that staff of Fire Service and Civil Defence would see an enhancement in their pay along with accountants and auditors in the housing and public works ministry.
"We have made some adjustments to the salary structure of employees in a number of government offices. For example, employees of equivalent status are getting different salaries in the police force and NSI," Azizul said.
Although field officers and junior field officers in the NSI are equivalent in rank to sub-inspectors and assistant sub-inspectors in the police, they are getting a smaller salary.