Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque :Of course belatedly 8th pay scale for the employees of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh was approved through gazette notification. Only the employees working in government, autonomous and semi-government organizations including public educational institutions have had an access to the benefits of new pay scale as a boon. It was declared earlier based on Mohammed Farash Uddin recommendations with some modifications. The service holders have had a tip toe expectation that pay structure, when finally approved, would retain time scale and selection grade. Secretaries’ committee scrapped both time scale and selection grade all to their utter frustration. ‘The government has decided to do away with the present Selection Grade and Time Scale for government employees. Henceforth, increments will be announced on July 1 every year’. Increments instead of in money terms will be on the basis of ‘a percentage of the basic pay’, The annual increment rate would vary, depending on a bigger hike to those at the lower grades. ‘Those in Grades 20 to 6 will get increment at the rate of 5 percent. For Grade 5, the rate will be 4.5 percent while for Grades 3 and 4 it will be 4 percent, and for Grade 2 it will be 3.75 percent of the basic. Farasuddin, former governor of Bangladesh Bank, made the recommendations of the 8th Pay Commission on Dec 21 2014. It was further reviewed by the finance ministry, with the final figures emerging as Tk 8,250 at the bottom and Tk 78,000 at the top.The Pay Commission had recommended a 16-grade structure, but a 20-grade structure, recommended by the secretaries’ committee, was finally approved by the Cabinet in September last year (2015).The new pay scale appears as a boon to the service holders despite the fact that they did not suffer much from artificial price hike. Inflation has been well in control. Through pay hike the government seems to find a way to mitigate sufferings of the fixed and middle income group helping them to come out of the situation. The government was bidding time to move to gazette notification to find an excuse for the procrastination. To be carried into effect from Ist July 2015 it was finally announced in victory day (16 December). The Cabinet has ruled out suggestions for a permanent pay commission but a final decision is yet to be taken.The 20 grades (According to bdnews24.com)Some striking features of the 8th pay scale deserve mention:There appears to be a remarkable change in the system semblance of hierarchy along class line. Such classification is not a sign of a healthy society. The observation of the protagonist of the new pay scale that grading would replace class like class one, class two, class three and class four. “The class categories for government employees have also been abolished. “There will be no more classes. The Grade will be an employee’s identity, not class. People used to feel uncomfortable to say they were Class-III or Class-IV staff,” Abolition of time scale and selection grade. “The government has decided to do away with the present Selection Grade and Time Scale for government employees. Henceforth, increments will be announced on July 1 every year”The system of increment has been changed. “Earlier, increments used to be in money terms; now it will be a percentage of the basic pay”. The annual increment rate would vary; giving a bigger hike to those at the lower grades. Those in Grades 20 to 6 will get increment at the rate of 5 percent. For Grade 5, the rate will be 4.5 percent while for Grades 3 and 4 it will be 4 percent, and for Grade 2 it will be 3.75 percent of the basic. The Cabinet secretary said “this system would yield greater hikes than the present time scale.”—Festival bonus (20% of the basic) for observance of Bengali New Year –‘The current pension rate, which is 80 percent of the basic, has been increased to 90 percent.’A substantial increase in the basic (almost double) especially in upper and lower gradesA uniform pay scale for the chiefs of the three services and introducing a new pay scale for the armed forcesAward of a plenty of allowancesGap between time of cabinet approval and gazette notificationAlthough the recommended highest basic pay is Tk 78,000, the cabinet secretary and the principal secretary to the prime minister will get a basic of Tk 86,000, while senior secretaries will be entitled to Tk 82,000. Nationbal professor will get Tk 82,000The new pay scale retained the grades of professors and senior professors but did not separately mention the selection-grade professorsI think fixation of salaries took a lot of time for gazette notification. At times the new pay structure was declared after the pay commission led by Farasuddin Ahmed submitted its report. Of course the pay commission took more than a year in order to mastermind the plan depending family size reckoning on at least six family sizes and consumption pattern and the economic grievances of the fixed income groups in the age of globalization. The recommendations of the pay commission were hardly reflected at the pay structure approved by the cabinet. A secretaries’ committee finalized the report after a good deal of modification. Such modification seems to be twisting and manipulation to suit their class interest. For the high profile officials as proximate policy makers must have their axe to grind in every new pay scale and incremental policy change. They might have thought that they have a finger in the pie. The way the committee manipulated things in follow-up action it seems that the expectations of the all sections of the service holders would not be fulfilled. It created heavy reactions among university teachers. They termed it highly outrageous, igmonious and demeaning of their status. Also disgruntles were college and school teachers, middle ranking officers and staff including members of association of generalist and specialist and non cadre officers. . They became extremely agitated propelling the government to rethink. The varsity teachers have pressed home a demand for a separate pay scale for university teachers and for reviewing of the new pay scale. The Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers’ Associations (FBUTA) also ‘announced to work abstention on a particular to press for their four-point charter of demands.’ The Cabinet Secretary on Monday said, “Several demands of the university teachers were presented at the meeting. The Cabinet cannot immediately take a final decision on this.” “That’s why the committee on resolving the salary discriminations has been tasked to review their demands and make recommendations.””The teachers would get their salaries according to the new pay scale. “They will get paid as per the new scale of the grades they are currently on. Their current facilities won’t be downgraded. University teachers will not be afflicted in any way.”I think there is a justification for a separate pay scale for the varsity teachers. I would like to present a paper on it. However, the University teacher federation highly criticized 82000 basic for national Professor. The University teacher federation termed it insult to the position of the high profile educationist like national professor. National professor should not be brought under payroll. He is above it.As the tension mounts over the scrapping of selection grade and time scale the government should implement it promptly. It should not let grass grow under its feet. As the amount of pay hike is almost double with a host of allowances including pension benefits release of extra-money wuill enable the service holders to understand the benefits of 8th national pay scale. Even it should steer clear of arrears by march latest. According to latest news:Officials of Bangladesh Bank, public universities teachers, BCS general education teachers, 26 government cadres and primary teachers have vowed to continue their movement to realise their demands, amid mounting tension over the Eighth National Pay Scale.The teachers of the 37 public universities are organizing the movement to uphold their status and to end salary discrepancies created by the scrapping of the selection grade and time scale in the latest pay scale. In spite of their best efforts to press home their demands, they, however, are yet to get a proper response from the government.Under the new pay scale, only administrative officials can only enjoy Grade-1, while public university teachers will not be able to reach Grade-1 throughout their service as the new pay scale has cancelled the selection grade and time scale. The teachers, under the banner of the Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers’ Association (FBUTA), said they will completely shut down the universities from January 11 till their demands are met.However, abolition of selection grade and time scale tended to court trouble. Varsity teachers termed it downgrading their status. Of course it hampered stable equilibrium and harmony. The teachers fought for justice. They demanded fair field not favour. So justice should be meted out to them outstanding for academic excellence. The prolonged movement rather annoyed the PM She seemed to pay no heed to the grievances of varsity teachers. There was silence for a long time on the part of the PM. From the gaztte notification it does not seem clear about Varsity teacher’s position and status. Despite the fact there was a faint mention about varsity about retaining the status of the Professors. But the teachers demanded specific statement about grade one and super grade. According to news:’The new pay scale retained the grades of professors and senior professors but did not separately mention the selection-grade professors, which is one of the issues the teachers have been pressing the government for. The university teachers have been abstaining from work and holding demonstrations, alleging their status was downgraded in the recommended pay scale. They have also demanded a separate pay scale for university teachers and review of the new pay scale.The allegation that only varsity teachers involve in partime outside the campus is false on the face of it. We have heard that some officials took lecture in private universities. Movement in fact was going ahead disturbing normal academic life. The teachers being beneficiaries of ruling party/alliance are between the devil and the deep sea. They have to think with a good deal of circumspection. There was common expectation that high profile teachers would be able to meet the PM communicating their demands convincingly. But they failed to meet the expectation despite best efforts. In addition to trying to satisfy their colleagues and the compatriots the representatives in the University teachers’ Federation could not do anything to the discomfort of the ruling party as active supporters. However they are hard put to find a procedure for keeping in touch with the PM. There was silence or reservation on the part of PM for long time. Her recent invitation to teachers’ representatives (some) in pitha festival broke the ice and they could come close to the PM. The dialogue between the PM and the federation was attended by Chief Secretary and Finance Secretary. PM’s gesture is highly appreciable and her assurance has been taken in good grace. Teachers have already resumed classes in pursuance of such assurance. The Federation decided to postponed the strike. (Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque, Professor, Department of Public Administration, Chittagong University, Bangladesh)
