The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions under the Department of Personnel & Training (Do&PT) has forwarded a letter from the Indian Railways Technical Supervisors’ Association to the Department of Expenditure regarding the formation of the 8th Central Pay Commission. The ministry issued an Office Memorandum on March 20, 2024, stating that the letter received from Shri R.V. Ramesh, General Secretary of the Indian Railways Technical Supervisors’ Association, has been forwarded to the Department of Expenditure for further necessary action.
The letter from the Indian Railways Technical Supervisors’ Association emphasized the need for the formation of the 8th Central Pay Commission to address disparities and anomalies in salaries between different groups of employees. It also highlighted the importance of giving sufficient time to the commission to study various principles related to pay, allowances, working conditions, promotional avenues, and classification of posts.
Recommendations of previous Pay Commissions
The letter mentioned that central pay commissions are usually constituted at intervals of ten years to examine, review, and recommend changes to the emoluments’ structure, including pay, allowances, and other facilities for central government employees. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th Central Pay Commissions recommended the establishment of permanent machinery to periodically review the pay, allowances, and conditions of service of central government employees.
The 6th Central Pay Commission recommended implementing its recommendations from January 1, 2006, after a ten-year period since the implementation of the 5th Central Pay Commission. The 7th Central Pay Commission recommended periodic reviews of the pay matrix without waiting for a long period of ten years.
Changes since the 7th Pay Commission implementation
The letter highlighted several key changes that have occurred since the implementation of the 7th Central Pay Commission recommendations from January 1, 2016. These changes include developments in government functioning, the performance and size of the Indian economy, GDP growth, various tax collections, the role of government departments, inflation patterns, erosion of real wages due to inflation, conditions of service, the role of the private sector in public utilities, government regulation, the number of employees in each department, the number of employees covered under the National Pension Scheme (NPS), reduction in poverty, and changes in the consumption patterns of employees and the general public.
Need for the 8th Pay Commission to address anomalies
The letter emphasized the urgent need for the formation of the 8th Central Pay Commission to eliminate disparities and anomalies in salaries between different groups of employees. It also highlighted the impact of pending legal cases across the country regarding anomalies in pay level, increment, pay fixation, promotions, MACPS, retirement benefits, and other issues. These legal cases consume valuable time in courts and affect the efficiency of government functioning.
The letter requested the immediate constitution of the 8th Central Pay Commission to allow sufficient time for comprehensive recommendations that address existing anomalies and prevent future ones. The commission should thoroughly study all principles relating to pay, allowances, working conditions, promotional avenues, classification of posts, and consider the views of every stakeholder, including the staff side.
Good News for Employees.