Pay fixation unfinished for many under new pay scale, so many will not get increased salary from Sunday

The government has prepared to pay increased salaries to government employees under the new pay scale from tomorrow, Sunday (1 November). On that basis, employees were due to receive the higher salary together with three months of arrears. But because pay fixation under the new structure is still incomplete, many officials and employees will not receive the increased benefit on schedule.

Those whose fixation is not finished will for now be paid under the previous pay structure. Once calculations are finalised under the new structure, the increased salary and arrears will be adjusted and paid together, according to the sources concerned.

Published reports say several complications remain in implementing the new pay structure. The country has about 1.4 million government employees, 800,000 pensioners and 600,000 MPO-listed teachers. A significant number of officials, employees and institutions have still not finished fixation under the new structure, so increased pay for everyone cannot be ensured on time.

Several inconsistencies have surfaced in fixation over the sequence of grades, the rules for obtaining higher grades, house rent allowance and financial benefits after promotion. These have complicated finalising how much each person will be paid under the new structure.

Complications in the government's integrated financial management system, iBAS++, are also hampering the fixation and payment process.

Officials and employees of various ministries and divisions have applied to Finance Secretary Md Khairuzzaman Majumder to resolve these inconsistencies and administrative complications, requesting the departments concerned to take the necessary steps on the problems that have arisen in fixation.

So far, however, there has been no significant resolution of those applications. The problems of several ministries and divisions cannot be solved before 1 November, it has been learnt.

A responsible Finance Division official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the current situation arose from a lack of experience and knowledge among those involved in preparing the new pay structure's notification and implementing it.

According to that official, work is under way to resolve the inconsistencies and complications that have appeared at various stages of implementing the new structure, and advice is being taken from people experienced in the subject.

So although increased pay formally starts from Sunday, when each employee actually receives it will depend on how quickly fixation is finalised in their own office. For those whose calculations are finalised later, the arrears are to be adjusted and paid together, the sources said.