Government Advisor Denies Claims of Doubling Public Sector Salaries Under New Pay Structure

Advisor to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Zahed Ur Rahman, clarified on Tuesday that the implementation of the new pay scale for government employees will not result in a blanket doubling of salaries, dismissing concerns that the hike would inevitably trigger inflation.

Speaking at a press briefing at the Secretariat regarding the government’s recent policy decisions, the advisor addressed public and media speculation surrounding the wage adjustments. He emphasized that the common perception of a 100 percent across-the-board pay increase is inaccurate. According to Rahman, many senior government employees have already reached salary levels close to the proposed new scale through annual increments, meaning their actual take-home pay increase will be significantly lower than initial projections suggest.

Rahman described the new pay structure as a strategic measure aimed at reducing income disparity within the civil service. He noted that once the new scale is fully integrated, the effective increase for many long-serving staff will be marginal, as their current compensation is already bolstered by years of service-related increments.

The Cabinet approved the new pay structure on Monday. Under the approved framework, the government will implement the base salary increases in three phases, beginning retrospectively from July 1 of this year and concluding within the next year. Provisions for allowances under the new structure are scheduled to take effect simultaneously on January 1, 2028.

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The new structure introduces significant increases in starting base salaries, ranging from 100 percent to 142 percent depending on the grade. For employees in grades 1 through 11, the base salary will increase by 100 percent. For those in grades 12 through 20, the base salary will rise by between 115 and 142 percent.

Under the new guidelines, the base salary for the lowest bracket, Grade 20, will increase from 8,250 Taka to 20,000 Taka. Meanwhile, the base salary for the highest bracket, Grade 1, will rise from 78,000 Taka to 156,000 Taka.