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Published : 27 Jan 2026, 09:01 PM
Implementation unlikely now: Advisor Fouzul sees no time to implement the Pay Commission’s recommendations; decisions are left for the next government.
Phased approach: Even if implemented, the salary increase is likely to be gradual, considering financial feasibility and the need to avoid disruption.
No immediate inflation risk: The advisor rejected claims that the recommendations would trigger price hikes, as they have not yet been enacted.
Government employees will not see the two- to two-and-a-half-fold increase in basic salaries recommended by the National Pay Commission during the interim government’s tenure, Power Advisor Fouzul Kabir Khan says.
He emphasised that the subsequent government will have full authority to implement -- or reject -- the recommendations.
Speaking after a meeting of the Advisory Committee for Government Purchase at the Secretariat on Tuesday, Fouzul said: “Where is the time for implementation? Only a few days remain.
“A committee has been formed to review the recommendations. It will examine and submit its advice. The next government is free to make any decision, just as this government exercised its own discretion.”
On Jan 21, the Pay Commission submitted a report recommending that the minimum basic salary for government employees rise from Tk 8,250 to Tk 20,000 and the maximum from Tk 78,000 to Tk 160,000.
The commission proposed 20 salary scales, as before, while taking into account inflation and employee demands.
A committee led by the cabinet secretary has been formed to verify the recommendations.
The report noted that fully implementing the new salary structure would require an additional Tk 1.06 trillion, raising questions about potential fiscal pressure on the next government.
Fouzul said, “That figure is the maximum projected cost if the recommendations are fully implemented. In practice, Pay Commission recommendations are rarely applied all at once -- they are implemented gradually.
“The committee will consider financial feasibility, and implementation is likely to be phased.”
He added that the process effectively eases the work of the next government: “No, this won’t create pressure. We are a limited-term government, working now to benefit the next.
“For example, we are preparing a power and energy masterplan and a multimodal transport sector plan that we won’t have time to implement. But our work now sets up the next government to act efficiently.”
He dismissed concerns that implementing the new salaries would trigger price increases for essential goods.
“There is no reason for prices to rise. The report has not been implemented yet -- only a committee has been formed to examine it.”
The government spends Tk 1.31 trillion on 1.4 million employees and 900,000 pensioners at the moment.
The Ninth Pay Commission, formed on Jul 27 with 23 members, was initially required to submit its report within six months; the deadline was later extended to Feb 14.
The report was submitted three weeks ago. The previous commission was formed in 2013, making this the first commission in 12 years.
