8th Pay Commission Update: As the Eighth Pay Commission gears up, 2.6 million central government workers have made their top request to PM Modi. They’ve sent a letter to both Prime Minister Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asking for the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) to be brought back.
The National Council (Staff Side) JCM is pushing for some changes to the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the 8th Pay Commission. Secretary Shiv Gopal Mishra pointed out that the new ToR misses several key points that would benefit employees and pensioners.
The NC-JCM has made it clear that the OPS should be reinstated for the 2.6 million employees who joined the NPS after January 2004. The letter emphasizes that this is a long-overdue and reasonable request, tied to the security and dignity of employees post-retirement.
Incorporate stakeholder expectations
The NC-JCM was the first to call for the clause about stakeholder expectations to be reinstated in the 8th CPC ToR. Shiv Gopal Mishra mentioned, “This clause was included in the 7th Pay Commission ToR, and its absence in the 8th CPC has let down millions of employees.”
Request to add pension revision too
The letter pointed out that the ToR fails to address pension revision, even though the government has promised that the 8th CPC would consider both employees and pensioners. The NC-JCM referenced the 7th CPC, arguing that just like the 7th, the 8th CPC should also include pension revisions for those who retired before 2026.
What are the suggestions included?
- Restoration of pension commutation after 11 years instead of 15 years.
- 5% additional pension every 5 years.
- Revision coverage to all pensioners.
- Demand to remove the term unfunded cost.
The National Council objected to the ToR’s inclusion of the term “unfunded cost of non-contributory pension schemes,” which characterizes the OPS as a financial burden. The letter stated that this terminology unconstitutionally presents rights as burdens and should be removed.