Cabinet approves new pay scale along with Baishakhi bonus

The cabinet approved Monday the new pay scale for government servants for which the public exchequer will have to spend an additional amount of Tk 159.04 billion in the first year and Tk 238.28 billion in the second only for salary.  
However, there are no time scale, selection grade and dearness allowance in their salary structure.
Introducing a new provision of perks with the pay packet, the government approved a sort of Baishakhi bonus for the members of the bureaucracy for Bengali New Year celebration.     
The highest salary in the new pay scale is set at Tk 78,000 (fixed) while the lowest Tk 8,250 up and down the ladder of twenty grades.
Under the pay scale the officers and employees will be entitled to an allowance at a rate of 20 per cent of their basic pays for Bengali New Year celebration for the first time.
The cabinet secretary, the principal secretary to the Prime Minister and the army chief would draw fixed Tk 86,000 (each of them) as monthly salary.
Each of the senior secretaries and secretaries of the ministries (civil bureaucrats) will get Tk 78,000 (fixed) as salary.
"There will be no time scale and selection grade in the new pay scale. The selection grade is discriminatory. It (new pay scale) proposes cumulative increase in salaries for the government employees," cabinet secretary Muhammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told journalists.
In the press briefing, held after the cabinet meeting at Bangladesh Secretariat, he said the cabinet approved the new pay scale in line with the recommendations of the Pay and Services Commission 2013, the Armed Forces Pay Committee 2013 and the Secretary-level Review Committee on the Pay Commission award.
He said government has to spend an additional Tk 159.04 billion (Tk 15,904 crore and 24 lakh) only for salary purpose during the first year.
During the second year, the amount will rise to Tk 238.28 billion (23,828 crore and 17 lakh) for increase in salaries and allowances.
"The government employees will get Bangla New Year allowance. The amount will be 20 per cent of basic salary. The Bangla New Year allowance will help invigorate the rural economy," Mr Bhuiyan said.  
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting at the cabinet division. 
The new pay scale is effective from July 1, 2015. The finance division of the ministry of finance (MoF) will issue a circular to this effect, said the cabinet secretary.
He said as per the new pay scale, there will be no classification of jobs of government employees (such as class-one, class-two, class-three and class-four categories)  rather they will be treated in accordance with their respective grades (from grade one to  20 ).  
The salary for grade one is Tk 78,000 (fixed) while grade two Tk 66,000, grade three Tk 56,500, grade four Tk 50,000, grade five Tk 43,000, grade six Tk 35,500, grade seven Tk 29,000,  grade eight Tk 23,000, grade nine Tk 22,000, grade 10 Tk 16,000, grade 11 Tk 12,500, grade 12 Tk 11,300, grade 13 Tk 11,000, grade 14 Tk 10,200, grade 15 Tk 9,700, grade 16 Tk 9,300, grade 17 Tk 9,000, grade 18 Tk 8,800, grade 19 Tk 8,500 and grade 20 Tk 8,250 (starting).
The increment of salaries from 20th to 6th grade will be 5 per cent while for grade five 4.5 per cent, from three to four it is four per cent and for grade two it is 3.75 per cent.
There is no provision for raise in the salary for grade one since the pay is fixed.
"It (percentage of salary) will help increase the salaries for government employees more than the time scale," Mr Bhuiyan said.    
Under the new pay scale the government employees will get 90 per cent of their salaries as pension. It was 80 per cent.
About the teachers who get monthly pay order (MPO) from government as salaries, he said: "The cabinet has asked the secretary committee and the finance division for reviewing proposals of their salary structure. Whatever teachers' salaries might be it will take effect from July 01, 2015".
Regarding the salaries of the servicemen under the Armed Forces Division the cabinet secretary said there will be the same number of grades (one to twenty) for them also.  
As per the new pay scale, the army general will get Tk 86,000 as salary (fixed) while for lieutenant-general it will get Tk 82,000 (fixed) and major- general Tk 78,000 (fixed).
He said the government is considering upgrading the ranks of naval and air-force chiefs equivalent to the army chief.
"The ranks of the Navy Chief and the Air Chief would be upgraded equivalent to the Army Chief and their monthly salaries would also be fixed at Tk 86,000," the cabinet secretary said, quoting the directives of the Prime Minister.
About the pay scale of public universities' teachers he said the cabinet discussed the matter with due importance.
"The cabinet asked the secretary committee to submit suggestions after reviewing their (university teachers') proposals.  He, however, said until then (new pay scale for them) they will get their salaries "as per the corresponding scale". Apart from their salaries and allowances, the scientists will get incentives for their scientific innovation that is beneficial for the nation and the countrymen.
The eighth Pay and Services Commission on May 13 submitted its recommendations for public servants with a minimum basic salary of Tk 8,250 and a maximum of Tk 75,000. The Pay Commission, led by former Bangladesh Bank governor Dr Mohammed Farashuddin, filed its report suggesting doubling the basic pay for civil servants with a minimum pay of 8,200 and maximum 80,000 on December 31, 2014.   
The council of ministers also approved the draft "Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons Act 2015".
Meanwhile, the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers' Association in a statement said Monday the association would observe a daylong work stoppage and stage a protest rally today (Tuesday) as they said their demands were not reflected in the cabinet-approved new national pay scale.
    talhabinhabib@yahoo.com