8th Pay Commission: The Eighth Pay Commission has been actively engaging with representatives from employee organizations, unions, and institutions to gather their input. The Commission wrapped up its two-day meeting in Chandigarh on September 18th. Next, the Commission will convene in Bengaluru on October 7th and 8th to hear from additional stakeholders.
NWA and PGIMER are hopeful their demands will be approved
Following the Chandigarh meeting, the Nurses Welfare Associations (NWA) and the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), both part of the All India NPS Employees Federation (AINEF), expressed confidence that the commission would support their demands.
Over 3 lakh nurses could benefit from these demands
Nurses’ associations under AINEF believe that accepting their demands would positively impact more than 300,000 nurses employed across central government hospitals, PGIs, ESIC hospitals, AIIMS, and other medical facilities. “Today’s discussions between the 8th Pay Commission representatives and the Nurses Welfare Associations were highly productive and meaningful,” the NWA stated.
Pushing for Level-10 entry-level pay for nursing officers
The NWA contends that requesting Level 10 entry-level pay for nursing officers aligns with the updated eligibility requirements moving from GNM to B.Sc. Nursing. This also matches the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s guidance to align nursing officers with the Military Nursing Service.
They’re also seeking a dedicated night duty allowance for nursing officers.
Their requests include a dedicated night duty allowance for all nursing officers and a risk and hardship allowance based on the R1H1 matrix. They emphasize that nursing is an exceptionally demanding profession. Additionally, they’ve called for comprehensive term insurance and health insurance coverage for all healthcare workers.
Chandigarh should be included in A1 city for calculation of HRA
The association has also demanded that Chandigarh be included in the A1 category for the purposes of calculating house rent allowance (HRA) and transport allowance (TA). The association also demanded nursing allowance, dress allowance, and special allowance. The association also wants the reinstatement of the old pension scheme.
There is also a demand to increase the annual increment from 3% to 5%
PGIMR nurses have also demanded a 3.25% fitment factor. The Seventh Pay Commission’s fitment factor was 2.57%. The association argues that a higher fitment factor is necessary given the rising cost of living, housing, healthcare, and education expenses. They also demand an increase in annual increments from 3% to 5%. They argue that the current increments are difficult to meet rising expenses.