Parliament staff get overdue pay increase

Nearly 800 employees of Parliament were granted a long overdue salary increase last week in keeping with the last year’s Budget proposals, after the President was informed of the injustice done to them.

The employees had been agitating for several months to receive the salary increase with the minimum pay stipulated at Rs. 11,730 in last year’s Budget. The salary increase was granted to all public servants from January this year, expect the Parliament staff.

The issue had been stagnating for several months after the Staff Advisory Committee of Parliament, headed by the Speaker, referred the matter to the Treasury in June.

As there was no response for several months, the matter was taken up with the senior Presidential Advisor on Finance and Economic Affairs Ronnie De Mel who subsequently wrote to the Secretary to the President early this month. A circular granting the salary increase was issued last week.

The structure for payment of the new salaries has been forwarded to the Secretary General of Parliament last Thursday by the Ministry of Finance and Planning, officials in Parliament said.