28th September 2004.
Vice-Chancellors of Universities,
Rectors of Campuses,
Directors of Institutes.
GRANTING SALARY INCREMENTS TO OFFICERS WHO HAVE REACHED THE MAXIMUM OF THEIR SALARY SCALES
Your kind attention is drawn to the letter No. NBD /SC/2 dated 27th February 1997 addressed to the Secretary, Ministry of Education and Higher Education by the Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Planning on the revision of salaries in the University System- 1997 which was circulated along with Commission Circular No.703 of 04.03.1997.
The Commission at its 659 th meeting held on 03.06.2004 decided to adopt the relevant provisions of PA Circular No. 07/2003 of 05 th June 2003 on granting salary increments to officers who have reached the maximum of their salary scales, subject to the following conditions laid down by the Treasury by its letter of 30.03.2004.
(i) Payment of any arrears should only be with effect from 01.01.2004.
(ii) No additional funds will be provided by the Treasury in this connection.
Accordingly the following provisions of PA Circular No. 07/2003 will be substituted in place of paras 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3 of the letter referred to in para 1 above, without prejudice to the benefits already granted from 01.01.1997 under such provisions, and to implement the provisions of this Circular from that date ie. 01.01.1997 without payment of arrears up to 31.12.2003 .
Officers who have been on the maximum salary step of their salary scales since 01.01.1997 may be allowed to earn annual salary increments equal to the value of the last increment of the salary scale relevant to their posts without payment of arrears up to 31.12.2003.
Officers who have been on the maximum salary step for one year or more than one year by 01.01.1997 and have not been granted a salary increment, will be paid one increment from 01.01.1997, and their next incremental date will be
01st of January. These provisions will not be applicable to officers whose increments were withheld on a disciplinary order, and action should be taken regarding such officers according to the disciplinary order.
Officers who have been on the maximum salary step for a period less than one year by 01.01.1997 an whose increment falls due on a date subsequent to 01.01.1997 in that year will be granted one increment on the incremental date falling in 1997, provided their increments have not been withheld on a disciplinary order.
Officers who have reached the maximum salary step of the present salary scales on 01.01.1997 or thereafter may be granted increments in respect of each year on reaching the maximum, subject to the provisions of paragraphs 04 and 05 of the Circular.
If an officer who is in receipt of increments under paras 05,06 & 07 above has been promoted within the period 01.01.1997 to 31.12.2003, his salary should be converted on the revised salary and arrears of salary should be paid only from 01.01.2004. However, there is no bar to the payment of arrears from the effective date of the promotion in respect of the salary conversions effected under the provisions which were in force prior to the implementation of the provisions of the Circular.
It should be specially noted that apart from the above provisions there is no possibility of granting increments in respect to every year of stagnation on the maximum salary prior to 01.01.1997. However, it may be possible to get only one increment in respect of a period of 01 to 03 years.
(i) An Officer who reached the maximum on 01.01.1994 as well as an officer who reached the maximum on 01.01.1996 get only one increment, and such a situation is not regarded as an anomaly.
(ii) An Officer who has been granted an increment on 01.01.1996 on a hypothetical basis on the basis of reaching the maximum of the salary scale on 01.01.1993 may be granted an increment under this Circular.
When converting under the existing regulations, the salary of an officer who is promoted and who on the effective date of promotion is in receipt of a salary exceeding the maximum salary of the new post, adjustment should be made by adding to that salary scale (the salary scale of the post to which promotion has been made) salary increments.
An Officer who is in receipt of a salary exceeding the maximum of one post also reaches the maximum of the salary as a result of a salary conversion on promotion will subsequently become entitled to an increment only after completing one year service in the post to which he has been promoted, and it is not possible to add the periods during which an officer has been on the maximum of the salary of two posts, and thereby get increments.
Although it is possible under the provisions of this Circular to place an officer on the relevant salary steps as from 01.01.1997 he will not be entitled to arrears of salary in respect of the period up to 31.12.2003.
The provisions of this Circular become substituted in respect of the salary increments already paid under the previous provisions for stagnation on the maximum after 01.01.1997, and therefore increments should not be paid twice in respect of the same date.
Existing regulations should be followed when the above salary increments are paid.
As no additional allocation will be granted for the above payments, existing allocation should be made use for this purpose.
Please take action accordingly.
(Prof. B.R.R.N Mendis- Chairman)
Cc:
- Chairman/UGC
- Vice-Chairman/UGC
- Members of the UGC
- Secretary/UGC
- Deans of Faculties
- Registrars of Universites
- Financial Controller/UGC
- Bursars of Universities
- Librarians/SAL/AL of the Higher Educational Institutions/Institutes;
- Snr. Asst.Registrars/Asst.Registrars of HEIs/Campuses
- Snr. Asst.Bursars/Asst.Bursars of HEIs/Campuses
- Chief Internal Auditor/UGC
- Govt. Audit Superintendents of Universities
- Snr. Asst.Int. Auditors/Asst.Int.Auditors of HEIs
- Secretaries of Trade Unions
- Auditor-General
File No. UGC/HR/5/3/37
