Business Desk – 8th Pay Commission: April 13 can prove to be an important day for central government employees and pensioners. In particular, an important meeting of the drafting committee of the National Council of Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM) is scheduled to be held on April 13. During this meeting, the memorandum to be submitted to the 8th Pay Commission will be finalized. Discussions to fitment factor, various allowances and pay structures are expected to take place during this session.

Issues to employees will be discussed

This meeting is being considered extremely important, as it will bring together all the major issues to salaries, pensions and service conditions of the employees, and present them collectively before the Commission. Earlier, a meeting was held on March 12, in which preliminary discussions were held on these proposals.

Employee organizations have submitted many suggestions to the Commission. Recently, NC-JCM secretary Shiv Gopal Mishra had written a letter to the commission requesting it to include nine additional issues. Earlier, the Commission had released a list of 18 questions, in which suggestions and opinions were sought from all stakeholders.

The commission will submit its recommendations within 18 months

The government has already constituted the 8th Pay Commission, and its terms of reference have also been determined. The commission has been allotted a period of 18 months to submit its recommendations. Its primary responsibility is to review the pay structure, allowances, pension and other benefits applicable to the employees.

Main focus is on fitment factor

The fitment factor remains the most intensely discussed topic among employees. This is the specific multiplier that is used to determine the salary of an employee. Employees’ unions are demanding that this factor be increased to 3.25 or more, so as to ensure a solid increase in wages that keeps pace with the rate of inflation.

DA and its merger demand

At present, employees are getting 58% Dearness Allowance (DA), which is expected to increase to 60%. Apart from this, employee organizations are also demanding that DA should be merged with the basic salary.

If this demand is accepted, there will be an increase in the basic pay, which will also result in a proportionate increase in other benefits like House Rent Allowance (HRA), Transport Allowance (TA), pension and gratuity. The memorandum prepared after the meeting held on April 13 will form the basis of the upcoming pay commission. This will affect the salaries and allowances of lakhs of employees and pensioners.