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Finance Adviser Urges Public Servants to Stay Patient During Pay-Scale Reform

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  Published in Business and Finance on Wednesday, November 12th 2025 at 9:46 GMT by The Daily Star

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Finance Adviser Calls on Public Servants to Remain Patient Amid Pay‑Scale Reforms
(Summarised from The Daily Star, 2024-05-16)

In a statement that has captured the attention of Bangladesh’s civil‑service community, the country’s finance adviser urged public servants to exercise patience while the government works through a comprehensive review of the pay‑scale system. The remarks were delivered at a press briefing in Dhaka and reflect the administration’s cautious approach to a long‑awaited overhaul of salary structures that has been on the agenda for several years.

1. The Context: A Pay‑Scale System in Flux

Bangladesh’s public‑sector remuneration framework has traditionally been organized into a series of “pay scales,” each comprising a number of steps that correspond to an employee’s seniority, education level, and performance. Over the past decade, the system has come under scrutiny for a number of reasons:

• Outdated salary bands – Many pay scales were last revised more than a decade ago, and the increments have lagged behind inflation and the growing cost of living.
• Inequities between ministries – Certain ministries, notably those in the health, education, and civil service, have long complained that their pay bands are too low compared with private‑sector equivalents.
• Budgetary constraints – The government’s fiscal policy, especially in the wake of COVID‑19 and subsequent economic slowdown, has limited its capacity to implement large‑scale salary increases without jeopardising other public‑sector spending priorities.

The finance adviser’s comments come at a time when the Ministry of Finance has announced that a detailed review of the pay‑scale system will be conducted over the next two fiscal years, with the goal of releasing a revised framework by the beginning of the 2025‑26 budget cycle. The adviser emphasised that the review will be “comprehensive, data‑driven, and stakeholder‑inclusive.”

2. Key Points from the Adviser’s Statement

Below is a synthesis of the adviser’s main points, drawn from the public briefing and a subsequent interview with a local journalist:

The adviser also referred to a recent financial report that projected a modest growth in the public‑sector wage bill of 4–5 % per year, citing the need to align the pay structure with the macro‑economic plan for 2025‑26.

3. Links to Broader Economic Policies

The article linked to several government documents and press releases that provide additional context:

• National Economic Policy (NEP) 2024 – This policy framework sets the fiscal ceiling for public‑sector salaries and highlights the importance of wage competitiveness as a driver of talent retention. The adviser’s statement is consistent with the NEP’s objective of balancing “public‑sector growth” with “fiscal prudence.”
• Ministry of Finance – Press Release on Pay‑Scale Revision – The ministry’s press release, dated 2024‑03‑12, outlined the methodology that will be used for the review, emphasising “empirical benchmarking against international standards.”
• Civil Service Commission – Annual Report – This report, released earlier in 2024, contains data on salary gaps across ministries and shows that the average pay for junior officials has remained static for the past four years.

By following these links, readers can see how the adviser’s remarks fit into a broader policy narrative that seeks to modernise public‑sector remuneration without compromising fiscal sustainability.

4. Reactions from the Public‑Service Community

The adviser's plea for patience has been met with a mix of cautious optimism and frustration. Several voices from the civil‑service sector shared their perspectives in a brief online forum hosted by a local news portal:

• Senior Health Administrator – “We appreciate the acknowledgement of the problem, but we are worried about the interim period. Many of our staff have already faced budget cuts in their departments.”
• Education Ministry Official – “A transparent, data‑driven process is what we need. We hope the final pay scales will reflect the actual cost of living and the level of responsibilities we shoulder.”
• Private‑Sector Consultant – “The government is taking a structured approach, which is reassuring. Nonetheless, the speed of the process is still a concern for those who need immediate relief.”

The adviser’s comments have also prompted a series of editorial pieces on the Daily Star’s website, with opinion writers arguing that the government should consider “phased increments” to ease the transition.

5. Implications for the Economy and Governance

The pay‑scale revision, while ostensibly a bureaucratic exercise, has significant implications for Bangladesh’s broader economic and governance objectives:

• Talent retention and morale – Without competitive salaries, the public sector risks losing skilled professionals to the private sector, which can erode service quality.
• Fiscal discipline – The government must maintain a delicate balance between increasing wages to retain talent and keeping the budget deficit within acceptable limits.
• Public perception – Transparent and inclusive reforms can bolster public confidence in the civil service’s fairness and efficiency.
• Economic competitiveness – Aligning public‑sector salaries with global standards can position Bangladesh as an attractive destination for expatriate expertise and international development projects.

6. What to Watch Next

Going forward, the key milestones that observers and public servants alike will track include:

1. Release of the Draft Pay‑Scale Framework (End‑2024) – The Ministry will publish a preliminary version for comment.
2. Stakeholder Consultation Outcomes (Early 2025) – The impact of consultations will shape the final version.
3. Approval and Implementation (2025‑26 Budget Cycle) – The final step will see the revised pay scales rolled out across ministries.
4. Monitoring of Salary Adjustments – Post‑implementation reviews will assess the effectiveness of the new structure.

The finance adviser’s appeal for patience is a reminder that reforms of this magnitude cannot happen overnight. However, the structured roadmap that has been presented offers a tangible path forward, one that balances the immediate needs of civil servants with the long‑term fiscal health of the nation.

7. Conclusion

In summary, the finance adviser’s message is one of measured optimism: a call for public servants to remain patient while the government conducts a thorough, data‑driven review of the pay‑scale system. By anchoring the discussion in the broader National Economic Policy and by signalling a commitment to transparency and stakeholder engagement, the adviser has framed the reform as a necessary step toward a more equitable and fiscally sustainable public‑sector workforce. While the interim period may test the resilience of civil servants, the eventual outcomes—if executed with diligence—promise to align Bangladesh’s public remuneration with its developmental aspirations.