COLOMBO – Steep salary hikes said to have been given to central bank staff came under fire in Parliament on Tuesday (20) with the Chief Opposition whip, Lakshman Kiriella, questioning how such large increments were made.
“It says a 700,000 increment was given to a deputy governor and 75,000 to an office assistant,” he questioned, accusing the bank of asking the people to tighten their belts, offices to reduce staff, and saying taxes have to be raised.
State Minister for Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya responding to Kiriella’s query, said that it would be good if people were willing to work for less, but the fact he pointed out, was that salary scales of the bank roles remain high around the world.
He noted that in the last three years 99 Central Bank employees, 10% of that grade, had left the island, and said, “We have to try to retain economists of a high calibre.”
Kiriella however rebutting the explanation questioned, “What economic knowledge?,” and said, “These are the people who bankrupted the country’s economy!”
-economynext.com
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