Why reward failure amid economic hardship

The anticipation surrounding the new pay scale for government employees has reached a fever pitch. Across ministries and departments, excitement is palpable as employees share their expectations with the pay commission. The minimum they confidently anticipate is a doubling of their current salary. Meanwhile, a silent cry echoes from the private sector, where employees struggle with low wages, no job security, irregular working hours, and no pension or benefits.
In Bangladesh's private sector, a graduate engineer often begins a career with just Tk. 15,000-25,000 per month, while an MBBS doctor, after years of gruelling study, starts at Tk. 20,000-30,000. Meanwhile, fourth-class government employees are demanding a basic pay of Tk 25,000, which translates into around Tk 45,000 gross with allowances. The contrast is staggering.
The greater tragedy lies in the economic chain reaction this move could trigger. Once a new pay scale is introduced, prices of essentials, house rents, and utility bills will inevitably rise. For private sector workers, whose salaries rarely increase in tandem, this will further erode their fragile purchasing power. The government lacks an effective mechanism to protect private employees or contain the inflationary impact of public sector wage hikes.
Adding insult to injury, the performance record of government employees is far from stellar. From failing to execute projects efficiently to allowing losses to pile up across sectors, their track record hardly justifies a doubling of pay. Even during the recent July Movement 2024--- a people's movement for justice, most government officials remained passive or opposed the cause. Yet today, they are the biggest beneficiaries of the current political vacuum.
With a weak, unelected administration in place, government employees see this as their best opportunity to secure a lucrative pay scale. Their urgency is political, not economic. They know a future elected government, accountable to the people, would be less likely to grant such an extravagant raise during a national economic crisis.
Demanding a salary hike under the pretext of inflation, when bureaucratic inefficiency is partly to blame, is a mockery of accountability. Rewarding failure with higher pay not only demoralises the productive private sector but also deepens public resentment at a critical time.

Imam Hasan
A private service employee
hassan.imam.chy@gmail.com