Parliament approves disproportionate govt salary increases

Under the Finance Ministry’s package approved by the Union Parliament on March 26, all civil servants stand to gain a salary hike, but there is vast disparity in the magnitude of salary increases throughout the government hierarchy. The salary increase for the lowest ranking civil servants will be Ks15,000.

Finance Minister Win Shein said that the salary rates of all military personnel will increase. The lowest rank will be paid Ks120,000 per month, and the commander-in-chief will receive Ks3 million per month.

Win Shein said the pay raises were calculated by considering the amount of current salaries, the number of civil servants and their expenses, benefits and pensions.

"The pay rates for the lowest rank of civil servants are low because the government is facing a budget deficit and inflation. We also wanted to prevent price hikes for commodities. It is difficult to find money by reducing government expenses."

At present, the minimum basic pay of a government employee is Ks75,000 per month, with up to an additional Ks30,000 per month in allowances. Although the government added Ks45,000 to the basic pay, additional allowances will no longer be available, leaving basic pay employees with a pay rise of just Ks15,000 per month. The minimum wage for civil servants will be Ks120,000.

While the salary rate for the lowest rank in the civil service is equal to that of the lowest ranking military staff, the salaries of the highest-ranking military officers far exceed those of the highest-ranking civil servants. The salary of a director general, the most senior civil service post, will increase from Ks250,000 to Ks500,000 monthly.

MP Khin San Hlaing from the National League for Democracy said: "The pay rise is noticeable for the higher ranks, but it will not make much difference for the lower ranking civil servants. Another thing is the government needs to control the commodity prices. If not, the pay rise will not help them."