8th Pay Commission: Staff Side of the National Council Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM) has submitted a detailed 51-page memorandum to the 8th Pay Commission, outlining several key demands, a move that could cheer 1.2 crore central government employees and pensioners.

One among these demands include a massive fitment factor of 3.833. At this fitment factor salaries of the central government employees and pensioners could see a significant jump of 283 per cent.

Fitment factor at 3.833

The most talked demand of NC-JCM is to increase the fitment factor from the current 2.57 (used under the 7th Pay Commission) to 3.833. The proposal may raise the minimum basic salary from Rs 18,000 to approximately Rs 69,000. Moreover, the employees body demanded to fix the maximum salary at Rs 2,15,000.

"The gap between Minimum and Maximum Pay should be balanced to avoid excess disparity. The ratio should not been more than 1:12. This will help in reducing income in equality, improving morale and reinforcing the Governments role as a model employer committed to fairness and Social Justice. Moreover the Pay Scales also should not have a up to 25 per cent. We proposed that 8th CPC may recommend to merge if the DA / DR crosses 25 per cent with Basic Pay and Basic Pension," NC-JCM said in a note.

Reason for this fitment factor

NC-JCM in its note said that considering the average retail prices of the food items, clothing expenditure, 7.5 per cent for housing, 20 per cent for fuel, electricity, water charges, 25 per cent for skill development, 25 per cent for additional expenditure towards marriage, recreation, festival etc., as per Supreme Court Judgment of 1991 and technology charges at the rate of 5 per cent, the minimum pay computed by the by the employees' body is Rs 69,000 for a family of 5 people. Accordingly, it recommended a fitment factor of 3.833.

The NC-JCM has also proposed raising the annual increment rate from the current 3 per cent to 6 per cent.

Merger of pay scales

NC-JCM, in its note, also proposed the merger of pay scales. It recommended that level 2 and level 3 should be merged in to one pay scale at level 3, level 4 and Level 5 should be merged in to one pay scale at level 5, level 7 and level 8 should be merged in to one pay scale at level 8, level 9 and level 10 should be merged in to one pay scale at level 10 and existing employees in level 5 should be upgraded and merged with Level 6 as a one time measure.