In an interview with BBC, Rashid Al Mahmood Titumir said there was a promise in the election manifesto to introduce a new pay-scale within a stipulated time. Necessary reviews have also been completed towards that goal. However, he did not specify any specific timeframe regarding when the gazette notification in this regard will be published.
He informed that the new salary structure will be implemented in phases, not all at once. In the first phase, the basic salary of government employees will be increased. However, he did not want to disclose any information now about what the salary rates will be for different grades.
Earlier, in the budget speech for the fiscal year 2026-27, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury announced that after almost 11 years, a new pay-scale for government employees will be implemented in phases from July 1, 2026. He said the decision to introduce the new salary structure was taken due to the increase in the cost of living caused by inflation.
Rashid Al Mahmood Titumir further said that a review is ongoing at the highest level of the government regarding the matter before issuing the gazette. The final decision will be made based on that review and political directives.
According to information from relevant sources in the Ministry of Finance, the gazette related to the new pay-scale may be published in the middle or towards the end of the current month.
It is noteworthy that the last national pay-scale for government employees was announced in 2015. Although a 5 percent increment has been added to the basic salary every year since then, no new pay-scale has been implemented. As a result, government officials and employees have been waiting for a new salary structure for a long time.
Meanwhile, in 2025, the 'National Pay Commission-2025', formed under the leadership of former Finance Secretary Zakir Ahmed Khan, recommended in its report submitted to the government to increase the salaries and allowances of government employees by 100 to 140 percent.
The commission's recommendation proposed increasing the minimum basic salary from Tk 8,250 to Tk 20,000 and the maximum salary from Tk 78,000 to Tk 1,60,000. Additionally, it recommended increasing the Bengali New Year allowance from 20 percent to 50 percent and restructuring the travel allowance framework for grades 10 to 20.
