The National Council-Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM), Maharashtra Old Pension Organisation and All India Defence Employees Federation (AIDEF) have submitted their demands to the commission.
Around 50 lakh central government employees and 65 lakh pensioners could be affected by the 8th Pay Commission decisions.
One of the biggest demands raised during the meeting was regular pension increases every five years. Employee representatives said pensioners should not have to wait for a new pay commission, which usually comes after 10 years.
Another demand is to bring back the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for employees who joined government service after January 1, 2004. Employee groups say the current National Pension System (NPS) does not give a guaranteed pension after retirement.
In addition to this, employee unions want the minimum pay to rise to around ₹65,000 to ₹69,000 per month. They have also demanded a higher fitment factor of over 3.8, which is the formula used to revise salaries.
The employee groups have also demanded higher allowances. These include an increase in House Rent Allowance (HRA), higher travel allowance and special risk allowance of ₹10,000 to ₹15,000 for defence employees working in difficult conditions.
Another major issue raised during the meeting was related to family pension. Employee unions said that after the death of a government employee or pensioner, the pension given to family members drops.
Currently, a retired employee receives a full pension equal to 50% of their last drawn salary along with dearness allowance (DA). However, after the pensioner’s death, the family pension paid to the spouse or dependent family members is reduced to only 30% of the salary. They demanded that the government reconsider the rule and increase family pension benefits.
At the same time, the NC-JCM and AIDEF have demanded that pension amounts should increase whenever salaries are revised so that pensioners receive equal benefits. They also want pensions to be linked with inflation and rising living costs.
Another major demand is a higher annual salary increment. At present, central government employees usually receive a 3% yearly increment, but unions are now asking for annual hikes of 5% to 6%.
In addition, the organisations want DA to increase regularly and be merged with basic pay once it reaches 50%.
The commission is expected to submit its final recommendations by mid-2027.
