Big news for government employees. A key meeting is set for February 10, 2025, between the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and the Standing Committee (Staff Side) of the National Council JCM to tackle issues surrounding the 8th Pay Commission.
This gathering will take place in North Block, featuring Parveen Jargar, Deputy Secretary (JCA), along with members of the Standing Committee. As reported by Zee News, they’ll be discussing 15 significant topics, including pension, pay bands, and the fitment factor.
DoPT had requested ToR
Zee News also mentioned that on January 23, 2025, DoPT reached out to the staff side of the National Council JCM for input to finalize the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the 8th Pay Commission. Parveen Jargar sent a letter encouraging the staff side to share their suggestions promptly.
Following this, Shiv Gopal Mishra put forward a comprehensive proposal with 15 key recommendations. A major highlight was the call for merging pay scales, suggesting that Level-1 should combine with Level-2, Level-3 with Level-4, and Level-5 with Level-6.
Minimum salary demand
According to NDTV, the JCM’s Standing Committee (Staff Side) proposed that the minimum salary for employees should be set at Rs 36,000, with a minimum fitment factor of no less than 2.0. Zee News reported that the fitment factor could range from 2.6 to 2.86. If this goes through, central employees could see their salaries rise by 25 to 30 percent.
The NC-JCM members are pushing for the 8th Pay Commission to kick in starting January 1, 2026. They also want the government to cover any delays by paying the arrears, just like they did with the 7th Pay Commission. On top of that, they’re asking for the DA (Dearness Allowance) and DR (Dearness Relief) to be combined with the basic salary and pension. This way, employees can see a boost in their take-home pay and better cope with inflation.