Opposition questions tshogpa’s salary raise

Opposition Leader Tshering Tobgay has questioned the constitutionality of this week’s salary raise for tshogpas.

The cabinet on Wednesday announced a 150 percent raise for tshogpas and thromde thuemis from their current salary of Nu 2,000 a month.

The opposition leader said that while he is happy that the raise brings the salary of tshogpas above the minimum wage rate, the constitution requires and empowers only the pay commission to fix and revise the salaries of public servants. “Since tshogpas are also public servants, I hope the pay commission has been involved in establishing the new salary scale,” he said. “If they haven’t, then the recommendation of the pay commission should be sought immediately in order to ensure that this important provision of the constitution is not violated.”

The opposition leader added that the earlier salary scale for the tshogpas was actually illegal since it was below the national minimum wage rate.

Article 30 of the Constitution of Bhutan says that there shall be a pay commission, headed by a chairperson, which shall be autonomous and shall be constituted, from time to time, on the recommendation of the prime minister.

The constitution says that the pay commission shall recommend to the government revisions in the structure of the salary, allowances, benefits, and other emoluments of the royal civil service, the judiciary, the members of parliament and local governments, the holders and the members of constitutional offices and all other public servants with due regard to the economy of the Kingdom and other provisions of this constitution.

Further, the constitution says that the recommendations of the commission shall be implemented only on the approval of the Lhengye Zhungtshog and subject to such conditions and modifications as may be made by parliament.

If the 371 vacant posts in the local government election are filled on December 26, the salary raise for tshogpas is going to cost the government around Nu 7.8 million a month.

If endorsed by the National Assembly, the raise will come exactly one year after it was raised from Nu 1,450 to Nu 2,000.

The cabinet decided to fix the salary of tshogpas and thuemis in an extraordinary meeting.

The raise will come into effect from January 1, 2012, after it is submitted for endorsement by the National Assembly during its winter session.

A public notification from the cabinet says the decision was taken with the view to attract an adequate number of candidates for the upcoming local government election. It says that the government attaches the highest importance to the efficiency and effectiveness of the functioning of local governments.

The notification says that the government is deeply concerned with the large number of vacancies that remain to be filled in the gewogs.

“Being convinced that this is due mainly to low remuneration as per the prevailing salary scale, the royal government has decided to fix the salary,” states the notification.

By Tandin Pem

2 Responses to “Opposition questions tshogpa’s salary raise”

1. yueloo says:

   November 23, 2011 at 1:50 am

   the wages for tshogpa sud be raised, after all dey are also da representative of chiwog

   Reply
2. Kota says:

   November 23, 2011 at 10:52 am

   No doubt that the Tshogpas require long awaited raise. But again Government must abide by the Constitution on the procedure to do so. DPT Government combined with the bureaucracy has always displayed a tendency of Autocracy and we must curtail this tendency now itself to avoid future complications. In plain terms, overriding constitution is to override the Democracy.

   Reply