The hopes of around 50 lakh government employees got shattered after minister of State for Finance, P. Radhakrishnan, had said that currently the government has no plans to increase the minimum salary beyond the seventh pay recommendations. At present, the Central government employees are getting basic pay according to the fitment formula of 2.57 of the basic pay.
Fitment factor is a figure used by 7th CPC with which the basic pay in 6th CPC regime (i.e Pay in Pay band + Grade pay) is multiplied in order to fix basic pay in revised pay structure (i.e 7th CPC).
However, the employees were demanding to raise the minimum basic pay to Rs 21,000 instead of Rs 18,000, the amount seventh pay commission recommended. But now, if media reports are to be believed, it has been reported that despite the government's statement, the news related to the hike in salary might come before the 2019 general elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his aggressive campaign before the Tripura polls had said that the state employees would get seventh pay commission benefits when BJP would come to power.
PM Modi said, "the BJP government was committed to implementing seventh pay commission scales in the state if the party comes to power".
Now, taking cues from the earlier incident, employees are hoping that the government might announce the good news before the general elections next year.
After Minister of State for Finance P. Radhakrishnan’s in Lok Sabha clarified that the PM Narendra Modi government is not considering any minimum pay hike beyond the recommendations of the seventh pay commission, the employees' associations reportedly were planning to go on a strike, according to a Sen Times.
NJAC’s Shiv Gopal Mishra, who led the negotiation over 7th Pay Commission on behalf of central government employees, expressed dissatisfaction over the government’s decision and said the struggle for higher minimum pay will continue, the publication said.
Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet has given its nod for the revision of salary and allowances of Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories and it will be on a par with that of the secretary to the government of India.
