Top News

8th Pay Commission: Millions of central government employees and pensioners are currently eagerly awaiting news about only one thing: the 8th Pay Commission. Since the notification for its formation was issued in November, there has been a flurry of activity in government circles. The commission has been given 18 months to submit its report. Experts believe that the new pay commission could be implemented by the end of 2027 or the beginning of 2028.

However, the biggest debate revolves around the ‘Fitment Factor’. This is the figure that will determine how much money you receive in your account at the end of the month. Recently, the Federation of National Postal Organizations (FNPO) put forward a major proposal to the government, which has further fueled this discussion. Let's understand how the salaries of employees, from peons to senior officers, will change if the fitment factor is 2 or 3.

Fitment Factor Determines Salary
The fitment factor plays the most crucial role in determining the salaries of government employees. It is a multiplier by which your basic salary is multiplied. During the 7th Pay Commission, this factor was 2.57, which increased the basic salary from Rs. 7,440 to Rs. 18,000.

Now, the postal employees' organization FNPO, in its letter to the National Council, has demanded that the fitment factor for Group A, B, C, and D employees be kept between 3 and 3.5. They have clearly stated that a respectable increase in salary is necessary, given the rising inflation. However, there is also speculation that the government might limit it to 2. There is a huge difference between these two scenarios.

How much will salaries increase if the fitment factor is 2?
Let's assume the government takes a slightly stricter stance and sets the fitment factor at ‘2’. According to experts at Nexdigm Solutions, this will directly impact the basic pay. If we talk about Level-1 employees (such as peons or entry-level staff), whose estimated basic salary is currently Rs. 18,000, then with a factor of 2, their new basic salary will become Rs. 36,000. That's a direct increase of Rs. 18,000.  Moving up the ladder, if we look at Level-10 officers, their salary will increase from Rs. 56,100 to Rs. 1,12,200. At the top level, Level-18 (Cabinet Secretary level), this increase will take the salary from Rs. 2.5 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh. Even with a factor of 2, there will be a significant salary increase, but employees are hoping for more.

How much will salaries increase if the fitment factor is 3?
If the government accepts the demands of FNPO and other employee organizations and sets the fitment factor at '3', it will be nothing short of a lottery. The organization has also suggested changes in the pay matrix and allowances in its 60-page report.

A factor of 3 means that the basic salary of a Level-1 employee, which was Rs. 36,000 with a factor of 2, will directly become Rs. 54,000. The salary of Level-10 officers will reach Rs. 1,68,300. And if we talk about the highest post, Level-18, their basic salary could reach Rs. 7.5 lakh. This figure is quite attractive to the employees, and that is why so much emphasis is being placed on a factor of 3 or 3.5.

Crucial meeting to be held on February 25th
Now all eyes are on February 25th. According to FNPO member Shivaji Vasireddy, a crucial meeting of the National Council Joint Monitoring Committee (NCJMC) is going to be held on this day. The purpose of this meeting is to consolidate all the demands of the employees and prepare a final draft. The draft prepared after the meeting will be submitted to Ranjana Prakash Desai, the chairperson of the 8th Pay Commission. This meeting will largely determine the extent to which the employees' demands will be presented to the commission.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from TV9. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.