The 8th Pay Commission consultations have intensified after a proposal from the Indian Railway Technical Supervisors’ Association suggested multiple fitment factors that could significantly raise salaries for central government employees.
Unlike previous pay commissions that used a common fitment factor across all pay levels, the association has proposed five separate fitment factors based on employee grade.
Under the proposal, employees in Levels 1 to 5 would receive a fitment factor of 2.92, Levels 6 to 8 would get 3.50, Levels 9 to 12 would receive 3.80, Levels 13 to 16 would get 4.09, and Levels 17 to 18 would receive 4.38.
If implemented, senior employees could see salary revisions exceeding 400 per cent. An employee in Levels 17-18 with a current basic pay of Rs 2.5 lakh could see revised basic pay rise to nearly Rs 10.95 lakh. A mid-level employee earning Rs 45,000 basic pay under Levels 6-8 could see it increase to about Rs 1.57 lakh.
The association argued that the current system compresses salary differences between junior and senior technical staff and does not adequately compensate employees handling safety-critical railway operations.
It has also sought a separate pay structure for technical railway employees, 5 per cent annual increments, faster promotions, and merger of 50 per cent Dearness Allowance into basic pay before salary calculations.
The fitment factor is the multiplier used to revise salaries under a pay commission. Under the 7th Pay Commission, the fitment factor was fixed at 2.57.
Other employee organisations have also submitted demands. The National Council-Joint Consultative Machinery has sought a minimum basic pay of Rs 69,000, while Bharatiya Pratiraksha Mazdoor Sangh has reportedly demanded Rs 72,000 minimum pay and a fitment factor of 4.0.
The 8th Pay Commission, chaired by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, is currently holding consultations across the country. Its recommendations are expected to affect more than 1.1 crore central government employees, pensioners, and their families.