7TH CPC REPORT – AREAS WHICH REQUIRE REVISION / MODIFICATION BY EMPOWERED COMMITTEE AS PER STAFF SIDE DEMANDS

7th Pay Commission Report – Areas which require Revision / Modification by Empowered Committee as per Staff Side demands – Minimum Pay, Fitment Formula, Annual Rate of Increment, Date of Effect, Ratio between Minimum Pay and Maximum Pay, Fixation of Pay on Promotion etc

After 7th Pay Commission formed in February 2014, staff side JCM consisting of members who are also office bearers of various staff organisations had submitted detailed memorandum to the Commission and suggested the quantum of Minimum Pay, Fitment Formula, Annual Rate of Increment, Date of Effect, Ratio between Minimum Pay and Maximum Pay, Fixation of Pay on Promotion etc., for taking in consideration by 7th Pay Commission in its recommendations.

However, many of the demands of the staff side were not favourbly considered by the 7th Pay Commission in its recommendations.

Now, Staff Side have been impressing upon Empowered Committee, the need for rectification / modification / revision of many of retrograde recommendations of 7th Pay Commission

We provide here a brief of the areas with respect to which Staff Side members will have to demand for revision / modification of the recommendations of 7th Pay Commission.

1. Minimum 7th Pay Commission Pay and Ratio between Minimum and Maximum Pay:

7th Pay Commission has proposed a basic pay of Rs. 18000 as minimum entry pay in Central Government Service (Pay of MTS). However, Staff Side JCM is of the view that as per approved methods such as Dr.Aykroyd Formula, minimum pay in Central Government Service should be Rs. 26,000.

2. Date of Effect and Fitment Formula:

Staff Side JCM had put forth before 7th Pay Commission that uniform fitment formula / multiplication factor of 3.7 to be applied while fixing the basic pay of existing employees.

With regard to Date of effect of 7th Pay Commission pay and allowances, members representing staff side submitted before 7th CPC that Central Government Employees are due for pay revision every ten years and that in order to rectify the delay in implementation of pay commission award in the past, the present pay commission award has to be given effect from 1st January 2014.

Contrary to Staff Side JCM’s suggestions, 7th Pay Commission has fixed the fitment formula / multiplication factor as 2.57. While mere merger of DA with existing pay in pay band and Grade pay would require a multiplication factor of 2.25, 7CPC proposed fitment formula / multiplication factor of 2.57 would result in increase in basic pay to an extent of 14.22% only.

Hence, convincing 7th CPC empowered committee for a higher multiplication factor / fitment formula would be the foremost concern of Staff Side JCM.

As far as date of effect of 7th Pay Commission award is concerned, the commission has not accepted the suggestion of Staff Side. It has observed that since the previous pay commission was given effect from 1st January 2006, the present pay commission award will have to be made effect only from 1st January 2016.

3. Annual Rate of Increment and Date of Increment:

Staff JCM in its memorandum before 7th Pay Commission suggested that since most of the PSUs including the banking industries provide the incremental rate at 5% and over a period of time it raised the salary level of the personnel, rate of annual increment for Central Government Employees will have to be fixed at 5%.

Further, uniform date of increment prescribed by the 6th CPC resulted in many anomalies, Staff Side JCM submitted that two specific dates as increment dates, Viz. 1st January and 1st July will have to be introduced. Those recruited/appointed/promoted during the period between 1st January and 30th June will have their increment date on 1st January and those recruited/appointed/promoted between 1st July and 31st December will have it on 1st July next year.

Also, staff side required that those who retire on 30th June or 31st December are granted one increment on the last day of their service, since they serve the entire one year of service required for an increment as on the date of retirement

Recommendation of 7th Pay Commission on the rate of increment:

In spite of valid argument of staff side for recommending annual increment rate of 5%, 7th Pay Commission has not made revision in annual increment and Promotional increment which have been recommended at the rate of 3% of basic pay.

4. Scrapping of NPS:

Staff Side JCM is of the view that New Pension system (NPS) has to be scrapped and all the employees who have joined in Govt Servic on or after 01.01.2004, are to be brought to defined pension scheme.

However, 7th Pay Commission observed that the NPS will have to be continued; that Govt should frame necessary law / Policy for proper investment of NPS fund in Equity and that a strong grievance redressel will have to be formed to serve NPS employees.

5. Transport Allowance:

With regard to Transport Allowance, Staff Side JCM presented the demand that if at all Transport allowance is meant to defray transport charges then low paid employees ought to have been paid higher transport allowance then higher level officers as they only travel from long distances to reach office. Hence, it was suggested by Staff Side that uniform transport allowance be paid irrespective of level of the cadre