Central government employees are eagerly anticipating the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission, with expectations of significant changes to their salary structures and overall financial well-being. In light of rising inflation and the increasing cost of living, employee unions and federations are actively submitting memorandums to authorities, pushing for a timely rollout and a beneficial revision of pay scales.
One of the most prominent voices in these discussions is the Federation of National Postal Organisations (FNPO), which has recently sent a detailed letter to the National Council (Joint Consultative Machinery, Staff Side) outlining its demands for salary and pension revisions. A key proposal by the FNPO is a multi-level fitment factor ranging from 3.0 to 3.25 for Group A, B, C, and D postal employees. The FNPO has demanded a uniform fitment factor of 3.00 for lower-end employees, arguing that the erosion of real wages has been most severe at these levels. For middle-level employees, the postal employee body has requested slightly higher fitment factors, from 3.05 to 3.10, to maintain horizontal and vertical relativities. Specifically, they have asked for a 3.05 fitment factor for Level 13 and 13A employees, a 3.15 fitment factor for Level 14 and 15 employees, a 3.2 fitment factor for Level 16 employees, and a 3.25 fitment factor for Level 17 and 18 employees.
The fitment factor is a multiplier used to revise the existing basic pay and pension. The FNPO argues that the current fitment factor of 2.57 under the 7th CPC was based on an under-assessed minimum pay and failed to provide adequate real wage correction, particularly at lower levels. They contend that a fitment factor of 3.00 would ensure equitable revision across all cadres, prevent pay compression at lower levels, and restore internal pay relativities.
In addition to the fitment factor, the FNPO has also proposed increasing the annual increment rate from 3% to 5%. They argue that the current rate fails to provide meaningful career-long wage growth and contributes to stagnation. The FNPO believes that a 5% annual salary increment would ensure visible and meaningful financial progression, reduce stagnation-related dissatisfaction, and bring government pay structures closer to those prevailing in other organized sectors.
Furthermore, the FNPO has proposed that the minimum pay at Level-1 under the 8th CPC should be ₹54,000 per month, as opposed to the current ₹18,000 under the 7th CPC. The federation asserts that the existing minimum pay was arrived at by diluting mandatory components such as housing, medical expenses, and social obligations. They have also called for a comprehensive revision of allowances, proposing to double the Transport Allowance rates. The FNPO has also requested the government to continue with the 7th Pay Commission matrix system.
The National Council (Staff Side) of the Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM) has scheduled a meeting for its drafting committee on February 25, 2026, in New Delhi. The purpose of this meeting is to prepare a unified memorandum of demands for central government employees and pensioners, which will then be submitted to the 8th Pay Commission. Representatives from various sectors, including Railways, Defence, Posts, and Income Tax, are expected to participate in the drafting session. The drafting committee will focus on consolidating views on core issues such as basic pay revision, fitment factor, allowances, minimum wage, service conditions, and pension revisions.
