Dhaka: Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association (FBUTA) president Professor Farid Uddin Ahmed said, ‘We want peaceful, prestigious and honourable solution soon.’

The FBUTA president came up with the remark while addressing media at Arts Building premises in Dhaka University at about 10:45am on Thursday.

‘I hope we will reach a solution within the short time. Different quarters of the government are trying to negotiate with us. We don’t want to stay out of class rooms for a long time,’ he added.

He also said, ‘There are different kinds of people in the government. Our demands haven’t appropriately been reached to the premier yet as they reach different messages to her.’

The Dhaka University Economics Department professor said, ‘We want immediate solution. If the university teachers’ demands don’t meet, our indefinite strike will continue.’

The Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers’ Association (FBUTA) on 2 January 2015 announced indefinite work abstention from 11 January demanding reinstatement of selection grade and solution to grade controversies in the 8th national pay scale. Class, exams and evening programmes will also remain suspended from the scheduled date.

8th pay scale gazette notification

The government on 15 December 2015 issued a gazette notification on the 8th pay scale for public servants with retrospective effect from July 2015.    

The 8th pay scale has no provision for time scale and selection grade.

The new pay scale is in effect from 1 July 2015, he said adding that the officials will receive arrears of the first three months under the new pay scale with the salary of December while that of the remaining three months with the salary of January 2016.

The government expenditure in the fiscal 2015-2016 will increase by Tk 15,000 to implement the new pay scale, informed the finance minister.

On 7 September, the Cabinet approved the new pay scale for government officers and employees raising the monthly basic salary of the Grade 1 public officials to Tk 78,000 (fixed) while the basic pay of Grade 20 employees at Tk 8,250.

A New Year allowance has been introduced in the pay-scale.

The Cabinet approved the new pay scale in line with the recommendations of the Pay and Services Commission 2013, Armed Forces Pay Committee 2013 and the Secretary-level Review Committee on the pay commission.

According to the new pay scale, the Cabinet Secretary, the Principal Secretary and the Army Chief would get fixed Tk 86,000 as the monthly salary.

Senior Secretaries of the government alongside the Armed Forces officials with the rank equivalent to Lt General would get monthly fixed salary of Tk 82,000 while that of the Secretaries and Armed Forces official equivalent with the rank of Major General Tk 78,000 per month.

According to the new pay structure, the monthly basic salary of the Grade 2 public servants is Tk 66,000, for Grade 3 officials Tk 56,500, for Grade 4 officials Tk 50,000, for Grade 5 officials Tk 43,000, for Grade 6 officials Tk 35,500, for Grade 7 officials Tk 29,000, for Grade 8 officials Tk 23,000, for Grade 9 officials Tk 22,000, for Grade 10 officials Tk 16,000.

The Grade 11 government officials would get monthly basic salary of Tk 12,500, Grade 12 officials Tk 11,300, Grade 13 public servants Tk 11,000, Grade 14 with Tk 10,200, Grade 15 with Tk 9,700, Grade 16 with Tk 9,300, Grade 17 with Tk 9,000, Grade 18 with Tk 8,800, Grade 19 with Tk 8,500 and Grade 20 with Tk 8,250.

With the implementation of the new pay scale, the existing 20 percent dearness allowance was abolished.

For the first time, the increment would be determined as per the percentage of the basic salaries instead of the efficiency bar and the specific increment, while the increment would be applicable for all government officials and employees from 1 July.

The annual increment of the public servants from Grade 20-6 would be 5 percent of the basic salary, for Grade 5 it would be 4.5 percent, for Grade 4-3 it would be 4 percent, for Grade 2 it would be 3.75 percent while there would be no increment for the Grade 1 officials as it is fixed one.

Besides, the annual increment would be determined on cumulative rate for which the public servants would be benefitted more as there would be enhanced salaries increase.

The new pay scale would discontinue with the time scale and selection grade system for the government officials and employees.

Besides, a new allowance, ‘Bengali New Year’, was introduced which would be 20 percent of the basic salary as it is expected to have a cultural impact alongside the financial one.

The public servants upon their retirement will be more benefited as per the new pay scale as they would get pension at a rate of 90 percent on their salaries when they would retire instead of the existing 80 percent.

The new pay scale is also applicable for the MPO-enlisted teachers.

The eighth Pay and Services Commission on 13 May last submitted its recommendations for public servants with a minimum basic salary of Tk 8,250 and a maximum of Tk 75,000.

In 31 December 2014, the eighth Pay Commission, led by Mohammed Farashuddin, filed its report suggesting doubling the basic pay for civil servants with a minimum pay of 8,200 and maximum 80,000.