The newly established Public Officers’ Salaries and Pensions Commission commenced operations today (4) in Colombo, under the patronage of Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Prof. Chandana Abeyratne.

The Commission was established following a proposal made by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in the 2026 Budget and was officially gazetted through Extraordinary Gazette No. 2494/05 dated June 22, 2026.

The 15-member Commission is headed by former Ministry Secretary Ashoka Peiris as Chairman, while Nalaka Disanayake has been appointed as its Secretary.

The Commission has been mandated to recommend solutions to long-standing issues related to public sector salaries and pensions, improve professionalism within the public service, and propose structural reforms to modernise public administration in line with technological advancements and global trends, according to the President’s Media Division.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Minister Prof. Chandana Abeyratne said this was the first time in Sri Lanka that a dedicated commission had been appointed to examine pension-related issues affecting retired public officers.

He said salary anomalies in the public service had remained unresolved for more than two decades due to the absence of a comprehensive and scientific mechanism to address the concerns, the PMD said.

The Minister noted that previous efforts to resolve issues affecting individual sectors had often created difficulties for other groups within the public service, stressing the need for a broader framework covering all public officers.

He said salary revisions introduced by the government are being implemented in three stages from January 1, 2025, with the final phase scheduled for January 1, 2027. The revised salary structure will also apply to public officers who retired on or after January 1, 2025, he added.

Prof. Abeyratne further said the Government is committed to strengthening the public service and creating a more efficient, citizen-centred administrative system.

He also announced that public sector recruitment, which had been suspended since 2020, has resumed, with Cabinet approval granted for the recruitment of 120,000 new public servants.

Deputy Minister of Labour Mahinda Jayasinghe said salary anomalies had been discussed for many years without a lasting solution being introduced. He expressed confidence that the newly appointed Commission would address the concerns through a comprehensive and evidence-based approach.

The Commission will accept submissions from trade unions, professional organisations and members of the public for a period of two months from today. A trilingual notice outlining the submission process will be published in newspapers on Friday, the PMD added.

The inaugural event was attended by Commission Chairman Ashoka Peiris, Secretary Nalaka Disanayake, Deputy Minister of Public Administration Ruwan Senarathna, MP Chandana Sooriyarachchi, public officials, trade union representatives and other invitees.