The Finance Ministry will need Bt30 billion for the new round of pay restructuring for civil servants in the 2011 fiscal year.
This pay rise is in line with the change in the pay structure made years ago. Pay rates used to be based on civil service grade, or C level, but now they follow a pay scale with four income brackets, each of which includes a range of salaries.
Some civil servants are still paid lower than the levels indicated in the pay scale, so in this round, the pay rise of each bureaucrat will be different.
"It does not mean that all will enjoy a 5-per-cent pay rise," he said.
In this fiscal year, Bt13 billion has been prepared from the central budget and the rest of the Bt30 billion would be sought from other sources.
"There should be no problem, thanks to the strong fiscal position in the 2010 budget year, which resulted in higher-than-expected revenue and high fiscal reserves. This should be concluded in September, so that the pay rise takes effect in October," he said. A Finance Ministry source said the Bt13 billion was on top of the annual pay rise given in the annual budget.
After the budget bill wins parliamentary approval, a special unit consisting of representatives from the Civil Service Commission and the ministry will be set up to review the details.