8th Pay Commission: The Centre finally notified the 8th Central Pay Commission (8th CPC) earlier this month and also announced a three-member panel, to be headed by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai. It took the Centre around 10 months to notify the 8th Pay Commission’s Terms of Reference, which will set a roadmap for panel members to formulate and fix compensation structures for over 1 crore central government employees and pensioners in the country.
Meanwhile, employee unions have started raising concerns over the drafting of the ToR, calling it unilateral and unjustified. A week after the All India Defence Employees’ Federation (AIDEF) wrote to the government, flagging various alleged inconsistencies in the 8th Pay Commission Terms of Reference, another employees’ union – Confederation of Central Government Employees & Workers has expressed similar concerns.
The Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers (CCGEW) represents about 8 lakh of central government employees across central department’s like Posts, Income tax, Audit, Survey, Central Government Health Scheme, CPWD, Census, BSI, GSI, ISRO etc.
In a letter to PM Modi, the employees’ union has said that certain vital aspects of the said ToR merit reconsideration and suitable amendments in the larger interest of the serving employees and pensioners. “We request for amendment to the Terms of Reference (ToR) of 8th Central Pay Commission…”
The union has mentioned following issues that are needed to be addressed
It has demanded in its letter “the revision of pension & pensionary benefits under the different Pension schemes & Deletion of the terminology of “Unfunded cost of non-contributory pension schemes” from the ToR.
“There is no clarity on the existing 69 lakhs pensioners including family pensioners who have been covered under the Old Pension Scheme, Unified Pension Scheme & National Pension Scheme in Terms of Reference (ToR) of 8th Central Pay Commission for their revision of pension, parity in pension or their other pensionary benefits including the period of restoration of commutation of pension etc.”
The 8th CPC should also review and recommend the other retirement benefits, pensionary benefits such as the restoration of commuted value of pension after 11 years, grant of additional quantum of pension /family pension once in 5 years from the date of retirement as recommended by the Parliamentary Standing Committee, health care for pensioners, the confederation wrote.
“The commission shall review and recommend changes to scheme of CGEGIS for Central Government employees & pensioners,” it added.
Earlier, the AIDEF wrote to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, highlighting the absence of a specific mention of the “date of effect” of the 8th pay panel in the ToR.
It also alleged that the notified ToR is unfair to around 69 lakh pensioners. One of the biggest flashpoints is that the ToR for the 8th Pay Commission do not mention pension revision for around 69 lakh pensioners and family pensioners, it said.
The defence employees’ federation has strongly objected, calling this “unfortunate and unjustified”.
The AIDEF further said that the ToR suggests that the Centre might change the set practice going on for decades where pay panel recommendations have been implemented every 10 years. Also, the 7th Pay Commission ToR had explicitly mentioned the date of implementation of the recommendation – which was 1st January 2016.