The interim government has decided not to implement a new pay scale for public sector employees, citing the limited tenure of the current administration, Adviser to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan said on Tuesday.
He said the Pay Commission’s report has only been formally received and no decision has been taken on putting its recommendations into effect. Any future elected government will be free to accept, revise or cancel the proposals, he added.
The adviser made the comments while speaking to journalists after meetings of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase and the Advisory Council Committee on Economic Affairs at the Bangladesh Secretariat, chaired by Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed.
Fouzul Kabir Khan said government employees had long been demanding a new pay commission, which led to the formation of an independent body that has now submitted its report.
However, given the interim government’s short mandate, the administration has opted not to proceed with implementation.
To review the recommendations, a committee led by the Cabinet Secretary has been formed, he said. The committee will assess the proposals in light of the government’s fiscal capacity, inflationary pressures and the feasibility of phased implementation.
Responding to questions on whether the next government could discard the recommendations altogether, the adviser said an elected government would have full authority to take any course of action. “Just as this government can take its own decisions, the next government will be similarly empowered,” he said.
On the estimated cost of Tk 1.06 trillion to implement the recommendations, Fouzul Kabir Khan said such a figure would apply only if the proposals were implemented in full and at the same time.
“In practice, pay commission recommendations are not implemented all at once; they are usually carried out in stages,” he said, adding that financing options would also be examined by the review committee.
Addressing concerns that the move could place pressure on the next government, he said the interim administration is working within its limited timeframe to ensure a smooth transition.
“There was growing discontent among government employees over the pay commission issue, including protests. Our aim is to ensure that the next government does not inherit a stalemate and can begin its tenure smoothly, whoever forms it,” he said.
He also clarified that the government has not formally accepted the Pay Commission’s recommendations. “We have only received the report and set up a committee to examine it,” the adviser added.