Employees Union Asks Pay Commission To Review NPS, Consider Implementing OPS

Lakhs of central government employees are awaiting the implementation of the 8th Pay Commission. While the process of consultation is still going on, a key central government employees’ body has submitted nine demands to the 8th Pay Commission.

The National Council (Joint Consultative Machinery) has sought changes across pension, welfare, and procedural aspects.

The body has urged the Commission to take a more inclusive approach while reviewing pay, pension, and service conditions.

The most significant demand raised by the employees’ body is the review of the National Pension System (NPS). It has asked the government to consider restoring the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).

In his letter dated April 1 to the Member Secretary of the 8th Pay Commission, Pankaj Jain, the employees’ body listed out all the eight demands.

The body has asked for the inclusion of pensioners’ issues in the Commission’s scope to ensure a more holistic review of benefits.

This comes amid rising concerns among retirees over inflation and the adequacy of post-retirement income.

Also, employee representatives have flagged the need for enhanced welfare measures for women employees, reflecting a broader push to align workplace policies with evolving social and professional realities.

The body has sought an extension of the deadline for submitting responses, along with an increase in the word limit for feedback submissions.

It has also recommended allowing sub-questions under existing themes to enable more detailed inputs from stakeholders.

Further, the employees’ group has proposed increasing the permissible size of attachments and allowing submissions both via email and hard copy, aiming to make the process more accessible and flexible.

The demands come at a time when the 8th Pay Commission is actively seeking inputs from employees, pensioners, and other stakeholders to finalise its recommendations.

The outcome of these consultations will be crucial, as the Commission is expected to recommend revisions in salaries, pensions, and allowances for millions of central government employees and retirees.