According to sources, government employees from 18 departments, including the Prime Minister and President’s Secretariat, will not be getting an increase in their salaries, as per the government’s instructions. This decision is specifically for employees who already receive an extra allowance.
The 18 departments include National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Revenue Bureau (FBR), President and Prime Minister’s Secretariat, law enforcement agencies, and the National Assembly.
Employees of the federal police, motorway police, Federal Investigation Agency, ISI, airport security, high courts, health department, civil armed forces, and the Intelligence Bureau, will also be excluded from the salary raise.
Last week, the government announced an increase in the salaries of the federal employees by 25 percent on an ad hoc basis. However, it will not include around 326, 745 employees who work in departments already getting extra allowances.
This 25% increase in salaries will cater to around 296,479 employees, burdening the government with an additional Rs 21 billion. The increase will not apply to those who already get a 100 percent ad hoc relief, but to those who are deprived of a performance allowance or additional salary close to their basic salary.
Several federal agencies pay their employees 300 percent of their basic salary in allowances. The recently agreed ad hoc relief aims to tackle the inequality in the salaries of the employees.
Read more: PIA slashes salaries by 50%
Last week, the government announced to increase the protesting federal employees’ salaries by 25%, after the negotiation between both parties ended on a positive note. A notification was issued by the Finance Ministry which stated that the salary increase would come into effect from 1st March onwards. All employees from grade 1 to 19 will get an increase in their salaries.
The salary increase has been agreed on an ad hoc basis and might be added to the basic salary in the next fiscal year, the notification added.
Prior to this development, a violent clash broke out on Wednesday, between the protesting secretariat staffers and the police, during which the protestors were also teargassed.
As a consequence, a ministerial committee consisting of Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, and State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Muhammad Khan. The three-member ministerial committee negotiated with the protestors and came to the aforementioned solution.
Read more: Government agrees to give federal employees a 25% salary raise
According to the notification issued by the finance division, “those civil employees in BPS (1-19) … who have never been allowed additional salary equal to or more than 100% of the basic pay.”
“The posts BPS (1-16) or equivalent will be upgraded on the pattern of Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa w.e.f 01 March 2021,”
“The grant of time-scale will also be considered for adoption on the same pattern in the next budget,” it added.
Addressing a press conference, Defense Minister, Pervez Khattak said “The ad hoc relief would be merged in the budget. The ad hoc relief will continue till the decisions of the Pay and Pension Commission.” He added, “Upgradation of employees has already been done in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.”
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