Govt to form taskforce

The government has decided to form a taskforce to sort out the anomalies in the new pay scale against which a section of civil servants is now protesting.

The decision came yesterday after a meeting at the finance ministry where Abul Kalam Azad, principal secretary to the Prime Minister's Office, held a discussion with Prokrichi-BCS Somonnoy (coordination) Committee, an umbrella of 26 BCS cadre services and non-cadre services except admin cadre.

Secretaries of the finance division, the education ministry and the public administration ministry were present in the meeting.

During the meeting, the Prokrichi-BCS Somonnoy Committee demanded the restoration of time scale and selection grade and the removal of inter-cadre discrimination, sources said.

Leaders of the committee were asked to submit their demands to the taskforce.

The taskforce will scrutinise the proposals in the next three months and come up with a decision, said an official.

It will also create new posts so that the government officials are promoted regularly, according to the official.

On Monday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina instructed the principal secretary to sit with the protesting government officials and deal with the differences.

In a separate meeting at the finance ministry, the secretaries of the finance division, the education ministry and the public administration ministry also discussed the demands of public university teachers.

The intervention from the prime minister came after different sections of professionals, including public university teachers, raised concerns about the new pay scale's “discriminatory provisions”.

Since the issuance of the eighth national pay scale gazette on December 15 last year, public university teachers have been protesting the exclusion of selection grade and time scale.

They have threatened to go on an indefinite work stoppage from January 11 if "the discriminatory provisions" are not cancelled by January 10.

Doctors, engineers, agriculturists and scientists have also been pressing for fixing “anomalies” in the new pay scale.