Cabinet Approval for Public Sector Salary Hike During Elections? Find out the facts…
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As Sri Lanka's presidential election approaches, and in a background where the final phases of postal voting are being completed, claims focusing on topics like state employees, salary hikes, and government benefits are creating confusion among the public.
Social Media Posts
Social media posts and a report by the newspaper Monara on September 9, 2024, suggest that the government has falsely claimed a salary hike for public sector employees. The report implies that a cabinet paper about the proposed salary increase has not been presented or approved. Election monitoring groups reportedly complained about this to the Election Commission, stating that the salary hike is fake.
These claims were shared among WhatsApp users as well.
Fact-Check:
Cabinet Decisions and Process:
On May 27, 2024, through Cabinet Decision No. 24/Misc (020), a study was initiated to address salary disparities in the public sector. An expert committee was formed, and discussions with trade unions and government officials were held, leading to the preparation of an interim report.
The Cabinet approved this interim report, titled "Interim Report of the Expert Committee Appointed to Address Salary Disparities in the Public Sector," on August 12, 2024. This report outlined salary revisions for implementation as part of the 2025 budget proposals.
The adjustments include a monthly cost-of-living allowance of LKR 25,000, a 24% increase in the minimum starting salary in the public sector, and provisions for government pensioners. All changes are proposed to take effect in January 2025.
The expert committee submitted their final report to the President on September 3, 2024. This report, including recommendations numbered 01 to 08, addresses various aspects such as public sector classification, employee allowances, pension disparities, and recommendations regarding allowances and levies. The report has received policy approval for implementation starting January 1, 2025, and the recommendations have been included in the 2025 budget proposals.
Official Documents and Verification: Upon reviewing the cabinet decisions dated August 12th on the Government Information Department website, there is a clear record of the Cabinet decision regarding the salary increment as explained by the PMD. The full cabined decisions announced on August 12th can be reached here.
Clarification by Cabinet Spokesman
On 10th September, addressing one of the journalist's questions after the Cabinet Press briefing, the Cabinet Spokesman and Minister of Transport and Highways Bandula Gunawardena clarified the above points. He said that the recommendations, including the unprecedented salary increase to the state sector in the 2025 budget, are based on the Udaya R. Seneviratne Committee report and have been included in the 2025 Budget document, which the Treasury is preparing. As seen below, he also showed the cabinet decision during the press briefing, condemning the parties for spreading a false narrative.
President’s Media Division: The PMD states that viral claims are baseless, and the cabinet approval had indeed been received for public sector salary increment, as confirmed by Cabinet Paper No. 24/1609/601/097, submitted by the President and Minister of Finance on August 12, 2024. The report can be read here Archived
We also reviewed the confidential document provided by the PMD regarding the approval and recommendations regarding the salary restriction of the public sector, which included the said details.
Statement from the Election Commission: We contacted Ms Piyumi Artigala, Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs and social media at the Election Department, who stated that the commission had received complaints about the announcement of a salary hike, with concerns that it could be misleading the public during the election period. The complaints argue that the salary increase was announced without presenting a formal cabinet paper. However, she added that the Election Commission has not released any official statement regarding these complaints.
However, the Election Commission (EC) condemned the announcement of the salary hike for the public sector during the presidential election period and complained about the same to the Public Administration Ministry.
Election monitoring groups like People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) also raised concerns about this proposed salary hike. PAFFREL states that while a salary hike is necessary due to the economic conditions, carrying out this move during an election period is an attempt to influence the country's 1.4 million State sector workers politically. More on this here.
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Conclusion:
The claims that no Cabinet approval was granted for the public sector salary hike and that the announcement was false are misleading. The government approved the salary increase in August 2024, which is proposed to be reflected in the 2025 budget proposals. However, the government has been criticised by the Election Commission and election monitoring groups for announcing this proposal during an election period.
