Prez to propose salary hike for state sector

By Rathindra Kuruwita

President Ranil Wickremesinghe will propose a salary hike for government servants from the 2024 budget, Cabinet spokesman Bandula Gunawardena told reporters on Tuesday.

Commenting on the demands by government servants for a 20,000 rupee salary hike, Gunawardena said that there was an opportunity cost for everything.

The Cabinet Spokesman said President Wickremesinghe had in 2022 said that government servants would be given a salary increase once the economy stabilised.

“The President told the Cabinet that despite all the difficulties, he was planning to increase the public sector salaries in 2024 budget. And, we agreed because essential expenses have gone up. Government servants who ear a fixed income are suffering a lot because of this. We will give a salary hike even at the expense of capital expenditure,” he said.