Finance Minister AMA Muhith will head the Cabinet committee set up to study and recommend 'inconsistencies' and 'discrepancies' arising out of the 8th National Pay Scale recommendations.
Published : 16 Sep 2015, 03:21 PM
This committee will specially look into complaints by teachers of public universities who allege they have got a raw deal in the pay scale structure.
University teachers, upset over Muhith's remarks, had asked for his removal from this committee.
But a Cabinet notification issued Wednesday kept Muhith as the convenor of this committee.
Other members of the new committee are ministers of industries, commerce, education and law ministers, minister or state minister from public administration ministry, and state ministers from finance and planning ministries.
The order said the Cabinet secretary, principal secretary to the prime minister, senior secretaries to Finance Division and public administration ministry, and senior secretaries, secretaries or acting secretaries to concerned ministries or divisions will assist the committee.
The Finance Division will provide administrative assistance to the committee.
This committee will make recommendations after reviewing ‘unresolved issues’ and allegations of ‘discrimination’ in the pay scale.
In the seventh pay scale, selection grade professors were included under grade-1 category with secretaries. Senior professors were included in grade-2 and professors in grade-3.
But the eighth pay scale did not separately mention anything about selection-grade professors, who were put on the same grade with senior professors and secretaries.
A special grade has been made for senior secretaries.
Public university teachers say the post of selection grade professors has been abolished although the bureaucrats have come up with a special grade for themselves.
They allege the professors are being put a step below the bureaucrats.
Teachers of 37 public universities have been demonstrating to press for a four-point charter of demand, including a separate pay scale.
After the government cleared the eighth pay scale on Sep 7, the Cabinet secretary said a Cabinet committee on removing salary discrepancies has been asked to evaluate the teachers’ proposals and make recommendations.
Finance Minister Muhith criticised the teachers when they continued their demonstrations, evoking severe backlash. He later withdrew his comment.
The Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers’ Association has since been demanding dropping Muhith from the Cabinet panel on pay.