THE Secretaries’ Committee has reportedly recommended giving 100% increase in basic salaries to also employees currently working in the Pak Secretariat. It has recommended to the Prime Minister to give the raise to all employees working at the Secretariat with effect from 01 January.
The recommendation has significant financial implications, therefore, the Prime Minister might get input from the Finance Ministry before taking a final decision but the proposal is need of the hour in view of discriminatory nature of pay structure in the public sector and constant brain-drain. The then Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, while approving increase in salaries, had remarked that the Government would make the civil service attractive enough to incentivize crème of the society to join it. However, the plan remained unimplemented mainly because of financial constraints and as a result we are witnessing a trend where majority of students is opting for disciplines other than civil service and the quality of the service is suffering hugely. There is also heart burning among bureaucrats as already 27 federal government departments are enjoying either double basic pay facility or getting handsome special allowances instead. But the latest proposal is also discriminatory in nature as it talks about ministries and departments at Pak Secretariat and not about all government employees who also feel discriminated and are also facing same problems as others. It is hoped that the Prime Minister would look into the issue in a broader perspective and take a decision that satisfies and boosts morale of all employees.
