8th Pay Commission News: Employee organizations have submitted their final memorandum to the 8th Pay Commission. Their demands encompass several key points, including raising the minimum basic salary from ₹18,000 to ₹69,000.

8th Pay Commission: Activity surrounding the 8th Pay Commission is intensifying. The official website of the Pay Commission has also published a schedule for consultations with stakeholders across various cities. Under this initiative, meetings are being organized in numerous cities, including Delhi, Pune, and Dehradun.

The Staff Side of the National Council – Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM) submitted its 51-page final memorandum on April 14. This document includes demands such as increasing the minimum basic salary from ₹18,000 to ₹69,000 and raising the annual increment rate from 3 percent to 6 percent. According to a report by CNBC TV-18, they are also demanding a ‘fitment factor’ of 3.83 for the 8th Pay Commission. The fitment factor is a specific metric that has historically been utilized for salary revision purposes.

₹18,000 No Longer Sufficient for Sustenance

Employee organizations argue that the demand for implementing a fitment factor of 3.83 has been formulated with a five-member family in mind. Based on the current Consumer Price Index (CPI), the sum of ₹18,000 (the minimum wage established under the 7th Pay Commission) is no longer adequate to meet the basic necessities of an average family. Expenses across various categories—ranging from education and healthcare to food, clothing, and housing—have risen significantly. This is precisely why the proposal for a fitment factor of 3.83 has been put forward: to help bridge the widening gap between salaries and the cost of living (inflation).

When Will the Enhanced Salaries Take Effect?

The government constituted the 8th Pay Commission on November 3, 2025. It has been allotted a period of 18 months to submit its recommendations. While the Commission’s tenure is deemed effective from January 1, 2026, the payment of salary increments and arrears is likely to be disbursed only in early 2027.

Additional Demands by Employee Unions

Prominent among all the demands is the call for a revision in the structure of the House Rent Allowance (HRA). It has been proposed that the HRA slabs be increased to 30%, 35%, and 40%, categorized according to the city of residence. Cities have been classified into categories X (40%), Y (35%), and Z (30%). This demand has been raised to ensure that an employee’s minimum HRA does not fall below a certain threshold, thereby enabling even lower-rung employees to secure decent housing.

Furthermore, the unions are demanding the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and that the pension amount be fixed at 67 percent of the employee’s last drawn basic pay. Under the current system, this limit stands at 50 percent.