Pay Scale to Be Implemented This Year: Finance Minister

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has said the government will implement the new pay scale for public servants within this year, while noting that the proposed salary structure requires further review and discussion.

“There are many aspects to the Pay Commission’s recommendations. We are considering all of them. We have held lengthy discussions, but further discussions are necessary. We will sit for another round of discussions on the matter. Once we finalise the decision, we will present it to you,” the finance minister told reporters. He made the remarks on Monday after a meeting at the Finance Ministry to review the pay scale for judges. Asked whether the new pay scale would be implemented this year, Amir Khosru said, “It will happen in due time. It certainly will. It will be implemented within this year. Everything will happen, but there are still matters that require further discussion.”

A day earlier, on Sunday, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister ABM Abdus Sattar said at the Secretariat that the government could announce a new pay scale for public servants at any time. However, he also warned that increasing government salaries could further fuel inflation and make the situation more difficult for ordinary people.

Twenty days before the 13th parliamentary election, the Ninth National Pay Commission recommended increasing the minimum basic salary of government employees from Tk 8,250 to Tk 20,000 and the maximum salary from Tk 78,000 to Tk 160,000.

Former interim government Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed had said that funds would be allocated to implement the Pay Commission’s recommendations. He had also said that the government would form a committee to examine the commission’s proposals.

However, after the election, the new government began implementing its commitments in the social security sector, creating additional financial requirements.

Reports published in the media said the government had spent part of the funds originally set aside for the proposed salary increases because the previous government’s budget had not allocated sufficient resources for the new requirements. At the same time, the government is facing higher expenditure on fuel and essential commodity imports amid the energy crisis caused by the war in West Asia. The increased cost of imports has added further pressure to public finances.

Although the government mentioned implementing the new pay structure in the budget for the new fiscal year, questions have emerged over whether sufficient financial resources are actually available to implement it. Concerns have also emerged over the government’s ability to finance the new salary structure as it considers launching a new lending programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The government formed the Ninth National Pay Commission in 2025, 12 years after establishing the Eighth Pay Commission in 2013. On January 21, the commission submitted its report to then interim government Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus.

At the time, the commission chairman said implementing the recommendations would require Tk 106,000 crore. The government currently spends around Tk 131,000 crore annually for approximately 1.4 million government employees and 900,000 pensioners. The meeting was attended by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Law Minister Asaduzzaman, Finance Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir and Finance Secretary Khayeruzzaman Majumder.

The finance minister’s latest remarks indicate that the government intends to implement the new pay scale within the current year, but it will first review the recommendations and assess the financial implications before finalising the structure.