National Salaries Commission appointed

A National Salaries Commission has been established to provide guidance and assistance to the Government in formulating and executing a National Salaries Policy.

The Commission has been established by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in accordance with the powers vested upon him under the Article 33 of the Constitution.

With the establishment of this Commission the National Salaries and Cadre Commission established on 18 March 2019 and subsequent amendments to it will be abolished.

The purpose is to appropriately meet the workforce needs of both public and private sectors by reviewing all remuneration structures including salaries and wages in the public and private sectors to maintain the continuous sustainability of earnings.

The 15-member Commission is headed by Upali Wijeweera. The other members of the Commission are Chandrani Senaratne, Gotabaya Jayaratne, Sujatha Cooray, Madura Wehella, M.S.D. Ranasiri, Dr. Ananda Hapugoda, High Court Judge Sanjeewa Somaratne, Ajith Nayanakantha, Ravi Liyanage, Sanath Ediriweera, Prof. Ranjith Senaratne, Engineer R.M. Amarasekara, Retired Major General Siri Ranaweera and W.H. Piyadasa.

A long-term plan for the use of human resources, tailored to the needs of the public, will be drawn up for the purpose of enhancing the efficiency and productivity of the public service for the benefit of the people, which was included in the President’s policy statement ‘Rata Hadana Saubhagye Dekma’.

The policy of the Government is to recruit employees with skills that can effectively serve the public sector, facilitate the development process, and regulate when necessary, taking into consideration the private sector and its role in achieving the Government’s development goals and aspirations.

The Government intends to introduce a set of proposal to provide salaries, wages and various incentives that will enable to maintain an efficient public service.