Following an increase in the salaries and allowances of civil servants, the government is planning to raise the pay and perks of the president, the prime minister, ministers, and state ministers.
Officials said that, in accordance with established practice, whenever civil service pay is increased, the relevant legislation setting the remuneration and privileges of the president, prime minister, ministers, and state ministers is amended to adjust their salaries and benefits.
They confirmed that the same procedure will be followed on this occasion.
Mohammad Shamim Sohel, additional secretary of the Cabinet Division’s Administration and Rules Wing, told TIMES of Bangladesh, “We are awaiting the gazette notification for the new pay structure. Once published, we will begin work on the issue after seeking the opinion of the Finance Ministry.”
On 31 August, the Cabinet approved a new pay structure for civil servants.
Under this framework, the minimum basic salary will be Tk20,000, while the maximum will reach Tk1,56,000, with additional allowances added to the basic pay.
The new structure will be implemented in phases over two years.
Once effective, the basic salary of a secretary will exceed the president’s current salary by Tk36,000.
Under the President’s (Remuneration and Privilege) (Amendment) Act 2016, the president’s monthly salary stands at Tk1,20,000.
According to the Prime Minister’s (Remuneration and Privilege) Act, the prime minister currently receives a monthly salary of Tk1,15,000.
Under the proposed structure, a secretary’s basic pay will be Tk41,000 higher than that of the prime minister.
Under the Ministers, Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers (Remuneration and Privileges) (Amendment) Act, 2016, a minister receives Tk1,05,000 per month, whilst a state minister receives Tk92,000.
The new structure will leave a secretary’s salary Tk51,000 higher than a minister’s and Tk64,000 higher than a state minister’s.
According to the warrant of precedence, the president and the prime minister hold the first and second positions respectively, whereas secretaries are ranked 16th.
Professor Sadik Hasan of the Department of Public Administration at Dhaka University said that increasing the salaries of high-ranking state officials after gazetting a new civil service pay structure is standard practice.
“Salary increases for the president, the prime minister, and cabinet members are undertaken to maintain the state order of precedence,” he explained.
However, former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder argued that there is no logical link between raising civil service pay and maintaining the order of precedence.
“Inflation and the rising cost of goods do not affect civil servants alone; they affect everyone. That is the rationale for increasing the salaries of ministers and MPs,” he said.
When asked whether a formal proposal had been submitted to raise the remuneration of the president, the prime minister, ministers and state ministers, Law Minister Mohammad Asaduzzaman offered “no comment”.
Under the eighth pay scale introduced in 2015, civil service salaries were increased by 100 per cent, raising the minimum basic pay to Tk8,250 and the maximum to Tk78,000.
The following year, the president’s salary was doubled from Tk61,200 to Tk1,20,000, and the prime minister’s was similarly doubled from Tk58,600 to Tk1,15,000.
Ministers’ salaries were raised from Tk53,100 to Tk1,05,000, state ministers’ salaries increased from Tk47,800 to Tk92,000, and deputy ministers’ pay rose from Tk45,150 to Tk86,500.
At the same time, the salaries of members of parliament were increased from Tk27,500 to Tk55,000.
A Cabinet Division official indicated that steps may also be taken to increase MPs’ salaries, which would fall under the purview of the Parliament Secretariat.
Ruling BNP MP Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas told TIMES of Bangladesh, “The prime minister is considering an increase in the remuneration of MPs and ministers following the civil service pay rise.”
However, he added that he personally saw no direct connection between civil service salary increases and those for ministers and MPs.
“MPs and ministers already receive substantial benefits,” he noted.
Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni said, “The government may take steps regarding a salary increase, and it ought to take the initiative in this regard.”
