8th Pay Commission: The central government issued the notification for the 8th Pay Commission (8th CPC) on November 3rd. The first major step is set to take place on November 15th. The NC-JCM Staff Side, which represents millions of central employees, has called a crucial meeting of its standing committee in Delhi. While the agenda is unclear in the official letter issued by AIRF General Secretary Shiva Gopal Mishra , the meeting is expected to discuss several important strategies related to employees and the approximately 6.9 million pensioners.
Why is this meeting important?
This is the first strategic meeting of the Staff Side since the government issued a notification establishing the 8th Pay Commission. This meeting will determine how the demands for salaries, pensions, allowances, service conditions, and pensioners will be presented to the government. The Staff Side is the recognized forum through which employees and pensioners advocate their interest.
What is NC-JCM and how does it work?
The NC-JCM is a three-tier system in which the staff side and representatives of ministries (official side) negotiate. Discussions take place at three levels: the National Council, where major issues such as the Pay Commission are raised. The second is the Departmental Council, and the third is the Regional/Office Council. The staff side consists of representatives from major employee organizations, whose job is to protect the interests of employees and pensioners.
What can be raised in the meeting on November 15?
Although the agenda is not mentioned in the letter, based on the issues raised earlier, it is believed that these points may come up for discussion.
Revision of pay scales
Pension reform
DA merger
interim relief
Health Benefits
The staff side provided a detailed list of these issues to the government in February, but they were not included in the final Terms of Reference (ToR). Therefore, these missed points are likely to be the focus this time around.
The All India Defence Employees Federation (AIDEF) recently wrote to the government complaining of several serious inconsistencies in the ToR. In its letter to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, AIDEF stated, “The ToR does not clearly mention the “date of implementation” of the 8th Pay Commission. The most significant allegation is that the ToR makes no mention of the pension revision of 6.9 million pensioners and family pensioners.”
The federation termed this as “unfortunate and unfair.” AIDEF also warned that the ToR indicates that the government may be changing the 10-yearly pay commission system, whereas the 7th Pay Commission clearly stated the date as January 1, 2016.
Amidst all this, it is believed that the NC-JCM staff meeting on November 15th, while internal, will directly impact employees and 6.9 million pensioners. The staff will need to develop a strong strategy on whether pension revision will be included, the implementation date, and how the pay revision will proceed, so that their position remains solid in official discussions with the government.
