7th Pay Commission: ‘Agitated’ Employees Threatens Strike After Govt Denies Considering Hike in Minimum Pay, Fitment Factor

New Delhi, Mar 23: After the government denied considering a hike in minimum pay and fitment factor beyond the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission or 7th CPC, the National Joint Council of Acti

Published: March 23, 2018 9:01 PM IST

By India.com News Desk

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New Delhi, Mar 23: After the government denied considering a hike in minimum pay and fitment factor beyond the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission or 7th CPC, the National Joint Council of Action (NJCA) has threatened to go on strike for salary hike. The NJAC Shiv Gopal Mishra, who led the negotiation over 7th Pay Commission on behalf of central government employees, expressed dissatisfaction and the struggle for higher minimum pay will continue.

“The employees are agitated. There is a tremendous amount of disappointment. I can assure you that the demand to raise the minimum pay has not been forfeited,” Mishra, as reported by Sen Times, said after the government rejected reports of a hike in minimum pay and fitment factor beyond the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission. “We will continue our struggle in an organised manner. If negotiations fail to bring the result, the option of agitation cannot be ruled out,” he added.

Minister of State Finance, P Radhakrishnan recently told Rajya Sabha that the government was not considering a hike in minimum pay and fitment factor beyond the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission. “The minimum pay of Rs.18,000/- p.m. and fitment factor of 2.57 are based on the specific recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission in the light of the relevant factors taken into account by it. Therefore, no change therein is at present under consideration,” said Radhakrishnan in a written reply to the question in the Rajya Sabha.

The reply came in response to a question posed by Samajwadi Party MP Neeraj Shekhar. Shekhar sought to know “whether Government is actively contemplating to increase minimum pay from Rs.18,000/- to Rs.21,000/- and fitment factor from 2.57 to 3, in view of resentment among Central Government employees over historically lowest increase in pay by 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC).”

In a separate development, the government reportedly modified the definition of pay anomaly, allowing the National Anomaly Committee (NAC) to take a call on salary hike beyond the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had issued a letter on October 30, 2017, saying that the demand for an increase in minimum pay and fitment factor does not appear to be treated as an anomaly, therefore, these do not come under the purview of the NAC.

“The finance ministry is not in a hurry to finalise the pay hike for employees and we will now ask the NAC to understand the true meaning of Finance Minister’s view and to redraft the pay hike matter,” a finance ministry official was quoted as saying. “Government’s one of the highest priorities right now is to solve pay hike problem for the millions of central government employees,” he added.

The 7th Pay Commission had recommended a hike of 14.27 per cent in basic pay of central government employees, raising minimum pay from Rs 7,000 to Rs 18,000. The government approved the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission despite resentment among central government employees, who have been a hike in minimum pay from Rs 18,000 to Rs 26,000 and fitment factor 3.68 times from 2.57 times.

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