I shall discuss here in detail the increase in salaries of Government employees in the Upcoming Budget 2022-23 Pakistan.  The tentative date of announcement of Fiscal Budget 2022-2023 by the Federal Government has already the Finance Division declared. However, we are waiting for the final date to submit the Budget to the National Assembly.

Budget 2022-23 Pakistan, Increase in Salaries of Govt Employees (Demands)

Every year the employees wait for the Budget and expect the Government to listen to their voice but only a minor relief and even sometimes zero relief, the employees get. The employees are facing many issues and expect the Government to do for them in this coming budget 2022-2023. Here are some of the main issues of the Government employees, that Government must ponder over it and give relief to the employees. You will read the following main issues of the employees and pensioners:

• Pay and Pension Committee
• The disparity between Pay and Allowances
• Merging of Adhoc Relief Allowances and Revised pay Scales 2022
• Group Insurance
• House Rent Allowance (HRA)
• Medical Allowance
• Conveyance Allowance
• Upgradation of Posts
• Time Scale Promotion
• Advance Increments
• Increase in Pension

Pay and Pension Committee

Pay and Pension Committee has already the Federal Government constituted in 2022 to resolve the issue of pay and pension for the employees and pensioners. But the final report, the commission could not present, due to some reason or the others after even many years.  Now there are chances that the commission may present the same before budget 2022-23.

The disparity between Pay and Allowances

Employees of different departments are getting various allowances. In some departments, the salary of the same pay scale employees having the same length of service is more than twice or thrice. The reason for the same is that the other employee is getting many special allowances.  Some of the extra allowances are as under:

• Risk Allowances
• Judicial Allowances
• Disparity Reduction Allowance
• Utility Allowance
• Technical Allowances
• Executive Allowance
• Audit and Accounts Allowances
• Teaching Allowance
• Hard Area Allowances

The Disparity Reduction Allowance 2021 and 2022, the Federal Governments granted to the employees who were not granting any special allowance equal to or more than 100%. But this allowance is itself a Disparity as compared to other provinces’ employees. .Federal Governments got this allowance on the current basic pay but the provincial Governments got the same on initial basic pay. In some provinces, the employees are even not getting this allowance.

Federal Govt granted the federal employees 2022 another Disparity Reduction Allowance DRA-2022 @ 15% on current or running basic pay. This allowance, only the Federal and KP employees got. Punjab, Sindh Balochistan employees are still deprived of it.

Merging of Adhoc Relief Allowances and Revised Pay Scales 2022

At this time, the employees are getting the following Adhoc Relief Allowances:

• 2016 @ 10% (Frozen)
• 2017 @ 10% (on running basic pay)
• 2018 @ 10% (on running basic pay)
• 2019 @ 10% (BPS-01 to BPS-16) and 5% (BPS-16 and above) (on running basic pay)
• 2021 @ 10% (on running basic pay)

From the history of Revised Pay Scales in Pakistan, it is clear that various Governments revised the basic pay scales. But during the last five years, there was no revision in pay scales. These are five Adhoc relief allowances that Government should merge into basic pay and should issue the revised pay scales 2022 wef 1^st July 2022. if the Government notifies the revised pay scales it will increase the salaries of Govt employees to a reasonable level.

Group Insurance

The employees are getting group insurance on retirement in some provinces while in Federal and other provinces, the employees are deprived of it.  The reality is that the employees should return the amount of insurance the employees on retirement just as State Life Insurance returns the same after mature of the policy. The Government deducts the amount of Group Insurance from the employee’s salary every month but unfortunately, the family of the employees only gets the same in case of the death of the employee. The Sindh High Court has already issued the decision regarding group insurance to alive retired Government employees but the action is still awaited.

House Rent Allowance (HRA)

Just look at the below table and imagine any employee can get a house hired in this small amount even in a small town.  The previous Government only increased the Hiring Rates 2021 in specific 6 cities of the country. Even the employees who are not availing the accommodation hiring in these big cities are getting HRA at the below rates and in these cities, minimum rates of a rented house are 10,000/- to 40,000/- How an employee can hire a house in this amount? He/she had to work extra to manage the residence for his/her family. Government should also increase the house rent allowance. The new rates should be 45% of the initial of new revised basic pay scales. The increase in HRA will increase the salaries of Government employees too.

Medical Allowance

You can also look at the below Medical Allowance rates, the employees are getting. BPS-01 to BPS-16 employees are getting Rs. 1500/- only as medical allowance per month that is just a doctor checkup fee per person in a small hospital. What to do with medicines, medical tests, and others?  Government should now fix it a minimum of Rs. 5000/- per month.

Govt Employees and Increase in Salaries through Conveyance Allowance

Fuels prices have risen many times during the past years but still, for many years the conveyance allowance charges are at the lost rates.  Below are the rates of conveyance allowance that the employees are getting. The minimum rates for the employees of BPS-01 to BPS15 should be Rs. 5000/- and above minimum Rs. 10000/- per month. Govt Employees and Increase in Salaries by enhancing conveyance allowance can make the charm in service.

Upgradation of Posts

Different governments in the past upgraded various posts but some posts having the same nature of duty and even the same designation did not upgrade. The main examples of the same are LDC, UDC, Assistants, etc. Government should upgrade the various posts that are still deprived of it. Not only LDC, UDC, etc but also many other posts in Government departments, the Govt should upgrade.

Time Scale Promotion

Time Scale Promotion is also the right of the employees. This may be the alternative to some extent of move over. The move over of the employees of was ceased in the Revised Pay Scales 2001. There are many posts that have not any promotion even throughout the service. Library Assistants are one example. These poor employees remain in all their service in BPS-07. Such employees should be given a time scale especially and generally to other posts.

Advance Increments

Advance Increments  Government stopped advance increments with effect from 1^st December 2001. The employees who had higher qualifications rather than required for a specific job got extra increments depending on their higher qualifications. I have already shared the details of advance increments on higher qualifications. Government should restore these advance increments.

Regularization of Contract/Daily Wages Employees

Many employees are working on a contract or daily wages basis for a long. many of these employees have gone overages just in the wait of regularization. They have served for long periods in specific departments/offices. Government should regularize all these employees and if overaged while serving in these departments should give special age relaxation to facilitate them.

Increase in Pension

Govt Employees and Increase in Salaries is the need of time but the pensioners have also the right to enhance their pension. Although the serving employees of specific governments got some relief in the shape of DRA 2021 and 2022. But the most affected are pensioners, who did not get the relief whenever these specific allowances were announced by the Government. The pensioners are facing the most difficulties. Government should now also increase the pension minimum from 20% to 30% for the pensioners.

How Much Salary in Budget 2022-2022 Increase?

Now it is the main point of the employees that the employees want to hear from the Government. At this moment, no real or unauthentic news from any source, we have heard. The reason for this same is that this is the newly established Government. If we conclude, there are chances that the following Govt may increase:

• Merging of some Adhoc Relief Allowances into basic pay
• Revised Pay Scales 2022
• 10% Adhoc Relief Allowance 2022
• A few increases in other allowances
• Increase in pension 10% to 15%

The rate of pension increase may be less as the pensioners recently got a 10% increase in pension with effect from 1st April 2022. Let’s wait for the representative of the government of Pakistan’s statement. Some authentic news may come just a couple of days before the announcement of the Fiscal Budget 2022-23. The news of enhancement in pay and allowances we are expecting in this week.