Special Salaries Commission appointed

• Cabinet approves new body to remove salary anomalies
• Commission to recommend new salary structure for entire public sector 
• Recommendations to be submitted to Govt. within two months

Cabinet yesterday approved a proposal by Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera to appoint a special Salaries Commission to remove anomalies and improve oversight of public sector salaries. 

The Government decided to appoint the special Salaries Commission to make necessary recommendations to increase the salaries of public sector staff and to do away with the salary anomalies that were reported at certain public sector institutions including the Ceylon Railway Department, the Finance Ministry said. 

The Cabinet of Ministers gave its approval to appoint this Salaries Commission on a recommendation made by Finance and Mass Media Minister Samaraweera.  

The Salaries Commission will conduct an in-depth study on the provisions of the existing circulars dealing with the payment of salaries and other allowances paid to public sector employees and will make its recommendations to the Government within the next two months.

The Government, based on the recommendation of the Salaries Commission, will introduce a new salary structure to increase the salaries of all public servants and to remove the reported salary anomalies that exist at certain government institutions including the Railways Department. 

The commission comes after a standoff between the Government and railway trade unions that went on strike demanding a salary increase. Minister Samaraweera rejected trade union demands as a salary hike for the railway department would have resulted in a pay increase for 24 other grades within the public sector including for teachers, doctors and police.