Bangladesh’s public-sector employees warned they could launch protests from December amid mounting uncertainty over the long-awaited ninth pay scale, after the interim government signaled that implementation would be left to the next elected administration.
Unions had issued an ultimatum to finalize the Pay Commission’s recommendations by 30 November. But Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed said Wednesday that the package cannot be implemented now, noting the interim authorities will draft a framework while the elected government will execute it. He spoke to reporters at the Secretariat following a meeting of the government’s procurement-related advisory committee, adding that the Pay Commission must first receive and vet key reports before moving ahead.
Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus has announced elections in the first half of February, suggesting any new pay scale would take effect after the polls. That timeline has heightened anxiety among civil servants who expected clarity this month.
The Ninth Pay Commission—formed 24 July and chaired by former finance secretary and PKSF chairman Zakir Ahmed Khan—was tasked with submitting recommendations within six months. Commission members say they intend to meet the deadline.
Employee leaders, however, argue that because the interim government created the commission, it should also deliver the new scale. Badiul Kabir, president of the Secretariat Officers-Employees Combined Council, said workers want the commission to finish quickly and submit to the government. Several public-servant associations said that if recommendations are not filed by 30 November, they will increase pressure on the commission, aiming to see a final proposal by 15 December and implementation from early January.
With the clock ticking, unions are preparing for escalated action if the schedule slips further, while officials maintain that structural groundwork—not rollout—will be completed before the election.