Pay hike

Recently, the Pay Commission submitted its report to the finance ministry with recommendation to increase the salary of government employees by 82% on an average. The recommended highest salary is Tk.45,000 (fixed) and the lowest basic salary is Tk.4,000. Other recommendations are: govt. staff will pay income taxes, education allowance for two children & retirement age extended to 60 years.
The Pay Commission report said around Tk.6500 crore would be required additionally to implement the recommendations. They also showed the ways to collect the additional money by extending the VAT net, increasing land value and stopping evasion of tax. That means it is the taxpayers & the common people who will bear the burden. But what will they get in return?
The government employees are there to serve the people. But every one of us knows what services we receive from them. In all of the government offices, people face a lot of hassle to get their legitimate jobs done and paying of kickbacks is part and parcel of the process. Although government jobs are not well paid, people are highly interested and leave no stone unturned to get enrolled in any government service.
There are already questions regarding this pay hike and extension of retirement age. First, the government should design & implement a system where there is no place for dishonest and inefficient employees. The idea of a fixed annual increment in salary should be discontinued. The salary increase as well as the amount should be tied up with job performance. Besides, the govt. employees must remember that they are being paid by the people and should serve as servants of the people/republic in true sense of the term. Considering the chronic unemployment problem in the country, the justification of extension of retirement age needs extensive review.
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It came to our notice through different newspapers on 15 May, 2009 that our education minister is going to take necessary steps to frame “Individual Salary Structure” for the teachers. So, as a schoolteacher I would like to thank him for it. Actually, it will be a great pleasure and good news for them if it is done very soon but at the same time it would be very bad if they are deprived of the new pay-scale which will be introduced quickly and perhaps in the coming fiscal year (FY). More facilities including higher scale of salary should be provided to the teachers as they play an important role in building up the nation. And if it is done, qualified people with excellent educational background will come to the teaching profession. It is known to all that if we sow good seeds, we will get a good harvest. But today no truly qualified person likes to enter this career because enough facilities are not available here.
I would like to draw the attention of our honourable minister in this regard, so that the situation improves in future. Taking all these things into consideration, an “Individual Salary Structure” should be introduced.
Md. Abdus Salam, Senior Asst. Teacher (English), Joypara Pilot High School, Joypara, Dohar, Dhaka