The Committee on Public Finance (COPF) has summoned the Governing Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) to Parliament next week over the recent salary hike.
COPF Chairman, Dr. Harsha de Silva said the CBSL officials have been summoned so MPs could seek clarification on the recent staff pay hike.
Taking to ‘X’, MP Harsha de Silva said the COPF will also look into any necessary action required to be taken in this regard.
“CBSL independence is subject to accountability to the legislature per Sec 80 (2) (a) of the CBSL Act,” he added.
The matter came to light after some Members of Parliament at recent Parliament proceedings raised the matter regarding the latest revision of remuneration of employees of the CBSL that was approved by the bank’s Governing Board.
Following the queries in Parliament, the Executive Officers’ Union of Sri Lanka’s Central Bank (CBSL) issued a clarification stating that the salary increment was provided under the triennial Collective Agreement entered into with the Trade Unions covering the period 2024- 2026.
Clarifying the matter further, the Union highlighted that the collective agreement for 2024-2026 was a result of negotiation between the management and the unions.
Stating that it is no secret that the central bank’s salaries are higher than other services, the Union said they require a competitive salary to do their jobs without pressure. (NewsWire)