8th Pay Commission: The demand of government employees, which has been going on for the last 20 years, is now more likely to be fulfilled. Many top employee organizations have written letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman demanding some amendments in the 8th Pay Commission. He has said that by making some changes in the term of reference of the Pay Commission, about 26 lakh employees should be brought under the ambit of old pension.
National Council (Staff Side) Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM), an organization of central employees, has written a letter to PM Modi recommending changes in the term of reference of the 8th Pay Commission. It has been said that some central government employees should be brought under the ambit of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). At present these employees are covered under the New Pension Scheme (NPS). Even a week ago, the employees’ organization had written a letter to the Central Government demanding the inclusion of pensioners in the 8th Pay Commission. Later, a clarification has also been issued by the government on this.
What is in the letter written to PM
NC-JCM Secretary Shiv Gopal Mishra has also sent a copy of the letter written to the Prime Minister to the Finance Minister. In his letter, he has recommended making several changes in the term of reference of the 8th Pay Commission. He said that this change is in the interest of retired and existing employees of the Center as well as military personnel. Therefore, the government must make this change in the interest of millions of people.
The organization asked for these changes
- There has been a demand to re-implement the Expectation of Stakeholders clause.
- The facility of increase in 8th Pay Commission should also be implemented for the existing pensioners.
- Demand for OPS instead of NPS for 26 lakh central employees.
- The phrase ‘unfunded cost of non-contributory pension schemes’ should be removed from the terms of reference.
- The date of its implementation should be declared as January 1, 2026 in the TOR of the 8th Pay Commission.
- Due to delay in 8th Pay Commission, 20 percent relief should be given to employees and pensioners.
What is the expectation of stakeholders clause?
NC-JCM has said that an important fact is missing in the Terms of Reference of the 8th Pay Commission. The 7th Pay Commission included phrases like ‘due regard to the expectations of stakeholders’, which are missing from the 8th Pay Commission. Lakhs of central employees have been disappointed by the removal of this line. The employees’ organization has urged PM Modi that these phrases should be included again while making changes in the TOR of the new Pay Commission.
Request to include pensioners
The employees organization has written in its letter that even though the government has said on its part that pensioners have also been included in the 8th Pay Commission, there is no mention of it in the TOR. It was clearly written in the TOR of the 7th Pay Commission that ‘Pension and other retirement benefits will also be given under the Pay Commission to those employees who have retired before its effective date.’ The organization has appealed that similar clear clauses should be included in the 8th Pay Commission also, so that the employees retiring before January 2026 can get its benefits.
Recommendation of some more changes in TOR
- The employee organization has written in its letter that instead of 15 years, readjustment should be included after 11 years.
- After retirement, provision of additional pension of 5 percent should be made every 5 years.
- Revision coverage should also be provided to all pensioners.
- The biggest and most difficult demand is that all pensioners should be given the benefits of the old pension scheme. This will include 26 lakh employees, who are currently covered under NPS.
Doubt on guaranteed pension
The employee organization has written in its letter that the line ‘Unfunded cost of non-contributory pension schemes’ included in the TOR of the 8th Pay Commission should be removed. Para (e) (ii) of the ToR refers to the ‘unfunded cost of non-contributory pension schemes’, which it considers unreasonable and a financial burden on constitutionally guaranteed pension rights. Therefore, it should be removed from the TOR of the 8th Pay Commission.
No time given for implementation of recommendation
The employees’ organization wrote in its letter that even though the TOR of the 8th Pay Commission has been issued by the government, there is no mention of the date of implementation of the commission’s recommendations. The effect of the 7th Pay Commission will end from December 31, but the government has not given the date for making the 8th Pay Commission effective from January 1, 2026. This is raising apprehensions and questions among the employees.
