Govt employees may get up to 100% basic pay hike under new pay scale

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A high-level secretaries’ committee formed to oversee the implementation of the ninth pay scale has recommended increasing the basic salaries of government employees in grades 1 to 20 by up to 100 percent.

The Prime Minister’s Office disclosed the recommendation in an e-book titled “180 Days of the People’s Government”, published to mark the government’s first six months in office.

The implementation plan, described under the heading “9th Pay Scale: Great Good News for Government Employees”, proposes introducing the new salary structure in two phases. Basic salaries would be implemented in the first year, followed by house rent and other allowances in the second year.

According to the publication, all members of the committee have signed the final report, indicating that the recommendations have been finalised.

The report said Tk 89,836 crore has been allocated for salaries and allowances in the 2026-27 fiscal year budget. Including pensions and gratuities, the total allocation stands at Tk 1,41,434 crore.

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said the government will officially announce the ninth pay scale within this year.

He made the remarks while speaking to reporters at the Secretariat after a meeting of the committee formed to prepare recommendations on the report of the Bangladesh Judicial Service Pay Commission, 2025.

“Everything will be done, but there are issues that require further deliberation,” the finance minister said.

He said the government would formally present the decision once discussions were completed and urged patience while the remaining issues were being considered.

The interim government formed a 23-member 9th National Pay Commission on July 27, 2025, with former finance secretary Zakir Ahmed Khan as its chairman. The commission submitted its report to then-Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on January 21 this year.

The commission retained the existing 20 grades and recommended increasing total pay and allowances by 100 to 140%. It proposed raising the minimum basic salary from Tk 8,250 to Tk 20,000 and the maximum fixed basic salary from Tk 78,000 to Tk 160,000.

Later, a 10-member committee headed by Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani was formed on April 21 to recommend an implementation strategy for the proposed pay structure. The committee includes the principal secretary to the prime minister, the finance secretary, the public administration secretary and other senior officials.

Earlier, in his budget speech in parliament on June 11, the finance minister said the new pay structure would be introduced in phases from July 1, noting that government employees had been under the same salary structure for nearly 11 years while living costs had increased due to inflation.