Pay disparities revealed across federal institutions

A significant disparity in salaries and allowances across federal government institutions has come to light, with employees in more than 50 federal organizations reportedly receiving additional benefits exceeding 100 percent of their basic pay.

According to official sources, workers in several key institutions receive substantially higher compensation packages compared to employees holding the same grades in regular government ministries and departments. In some cases, total salaries are said to be two to three times higher than those of officers in comparable positions elsewhere in the federal structure.

Officials familiar with government pay structures said the beneficiaries include employees of the President’s Secretariat, Prime Minister’s Office, National Assembly Secretariat, Senate Secretariat, higher judiciary, accountability bodies, intelligence agencies, tax authorities, and various specialized tribunals and courts.

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The list also includes several autonomous organizations, police-related institutions, educational and rehabilitation centers, health organizations, and regulatory bodies that enjoy special allowances and incentives.

Over the years, the federal government has granted additional allowances to selected institutions for various reasons, including performance-based incentives, operational requirements, and the retention of skilled personnel. However, these policies have gradually created multiple salary systems within the same government framework.

As a result, an officer serving in Grade 20 within a standard ministry may earn significantly less than an officer of the same grade working in an institution that offers special allowances. Critics argue that this situation undermines the principle of a uniform pay structure across the civil service and has created a perception of unequal treatment among government employees.

A few years ago, the Ministry of Finance introduced the Disparity Reduction Allowance (DRA) for federal secretariat employees who were not receiving special benefits. The move was widely viewed as an acknowledgment of the growing salary gap within the public sector.

Despite these efforts, concerns remain that influential institutions continue to secure additional allowances and benefits for their employees, while many government workers outside these organizations remain excluded from similar compensation packages.