8th Pay Commission: Over 11 million central government workers and retirees nationwide are eagerly waiting for some big news about the 8th Pay Commission in the Union Budget 2026-27, which is set to be revealed on Sunday. Everyone will be tuning in to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget speech to find out if there’s going to be a push to speed up salary and pension increases.
In the meantime, the Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers (CCGEW), a prominent organization representing central government employees and pensioners, has sent a notice to the Cabinet Secretary. They’ve warned that if their demands regarding the 8th Pay Commission (8th CPC) and other issues aren’t addressed, they will stage a one-day strike on February 12, 2026.
Are central employees really going to strike on February 12?
In a letter, CCGEW Secretary General SB Yadav mentioned that employees from organizations linked to the CCGEW will join the one-day strike on February 12, 2026. This group of employees has put together a list of demands concerning the 8th Pay Commission and other issues, which are the reasons behind this planned strike.
What are the key demands from central employees?
The employees’ organization has reached out to the Cabinet Secretary, asking for modifications to the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the 8th CPC to include the suggestions and views provided by the National Council (Staff Side) of the Confederation and the Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM) regarding the pay revision for employees and pensioners.
They are requesting that 50% of the dearness allowance (DA)/dearness relief (DR) be combined with the basic salary or pension, and that 20% of the salary or pension be given as interim relief starting January 1, 2026. CCGEW is pushing the central government to get rid of the National Pension System (NPS) and Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), and to bring back the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for all central government workers.
The employees’ group stated that there shouldn’t be any discrimination among pensioners based on things like their retirement date or the recommendations made by the Central Pay Commission.
They also want the government to lift the 5% limit on compassionate appointments and allow compassionate appointments for the children or dependents of deceased employees in every situation.
When is the 8th Pay Commission going to be put into action?
It seems pretty unlikely that the full wage and pension increases will happen in the fiscal year 2026-27. On Budget Day, the official setup of the 8th Pay Commission will have only been finalized three months prior. Reports suggest that the commission has 18 months to hand in its report. So, it’s not looking good for salary and pension hikes to roll out in the financial year 2026-27.
If the budget sets aside funds specifically for the government’s salary and pension increase costs, it might show that the government wants to speed things up. If that’s the case, the Pay Commission could fast-track talks with employees and other parties and get its report done sooner.
Right now, the deadline for the commission’s report is May 2027. When a new pay commission is set up, the dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) start at zero and then gradually go up. The report indicates that the 8th Pay Commission might be rolled out by late 2027 or early 2028.
