New pay scale payments begin; 100,000 still wait

Government employees began receiving salaries under the new pay scale on Sunday after an 11-year wait, with revised October salaries and three months' arrears deposited into bank accounts. But, around 100,000 employees are still waiting due to complications in pay fixation, Finance Division sources said.

Under the new pay structure, about 1.4 million government employees, 800,000 pensioners and 600,000 MPO-listed teachers are entitled to enhanced financial benefits. Most beneficiaries have received their payments, while the remaining employees are expected to receive theirs within the next two to three days after completing the necessary pay fixation procedures.

Several government employees said they began receiving mobile phone notifications about salary deposits after 10:00am on Sunday. The deposits included their October salaries and arrears for July, August and September.

The implementation of the new pay structure, however, has exposed several discrepancies, particularly regarding seniority, grade determination and house rent allowances.

Employees from different ministries and divisions have raised concerns that inconsistencies in determining salaries have created disparities in some cases. There are also allegations that some employees could face a reduction in their overall income despite receiving promotions under the revised structure.

According to relevant sources, employees from the Finance Division, Financial Institutions Division, Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, and Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, among others, have submitted applications to Finance Secretary Md Khairuzzaman Majumder requesting that the discrepancies be resolved.

Officials said the authorities were working to address the complaints, although not all the discrepancies had been resolved.

The government issued a gazette notification on September 17, introducing the new national pay structure while retaining the existing 20-grade system. The revised scale provides for increases in basic salaries ranging from 100 per cent to 142 per cent, depending on the grade.

Effective retrospectively from July 1, the new structure is being implemented in phases rather than through immediate payment of the full revised salaries.
Under the notification, employees in Grade 9 and above will receive 40 per cent of the increased basic salary from July 1 to December 31, 2026. Those in Grades 10 to 20 will receive 50 per cent of the increase during the same period.

The next phase will begin on January 1, 2027, when 75 per cent of the revised basic salary will become effective. Full implementation, including annual increments, is scheduled to begin on July 1, 2027.

Other allowances will remain at their existing rates until December 31, 2027, with revised allowance rates scheduled to take effect from January 1, 2028.
The previous national pay scale was introduced in 2015. The revised structure was announced on September 17, 2026.