New Delhi, December 29: Almost 18 months have passed and the year 2017 is about to end and yet there are not much any news on minimum wage hike and fitment factor under the 7th Pay Commission this year. However, what will 2018 hold in store for the Central Government employees is still not clear.
Since last 18 months, there is no official confirmation on any sort of increase in the basic minimum pay and the stalemate between the government and the employees continues as the Unions representing central government employees have decided to continue their fight.
In 2018, Central Government employees could hope that the high-level committee would be formed. If the government is looking at the issue of the pay hike the decision of this committee would be crucial.
The committee also became important after the National Anomaly Committee was formed to look into the issues of minimum wage hike and fitment factor. This was also conveyed by the government in a letter dated October 30. While Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley and his people in the ministry remains committed to hike the minimum pay. Most of the Central Government employees say that they have lost all hope since many assurances were made and none of them was fulfilled.
A number of reports said that the committee would have to submit its report in next 6 months. However, a source quoted in a report was unable to say when the committee would be formed. As of now, there is no official word on the committee. If the committee is formed then it would go into the issue of minimum wage hike and fitment factor.
Also, if the committee decides to recommend a pay hike this means that even the pay gap adjustments would have to be made. The pay gap adjustments will also be made to raise the 1:12 instead of the 1:14 in respect of minimum and maximum pay hike.
After the recommendations of 7th Pay Commission, the pay panel had increased the minimum wage from Rs 7,000 to Rs 18,000 per month while the maximum pay from Rs 80,000 to Rs 2.5 lakh with a fitment factor of 2.57 times uniformly of basic pay of 6th Pay Commission and the recommendations got the Cabinet nod on June 29, 2016.
The Central Government employees unions have been demanding a minimum pay of Rs 26,000 instead of Rs 18,000 with a fitment factor of 3.68.