Discussions around the 8th Pay Commission have intensified (Img: Internet)
New Delhi: Discussions around the 8th Pay Commission have intensified after a railway employees’ union proposed a new five-fitment-factor formula for revising salaries of central government employees and pensioners.
The proposal was reportedly submitted by the Indian Railway Technical Supervisors’ Association (IRTSA), which suggested different fitment factors for different pay levels to ensure balanced salary growth across junior, middle and senior employees.
8th Pay Commission: How much your salary may rise? Fitment formula explained
If implemented in its current form, the proposal could significantly increase revised basic salaries in some categories.
A fitment factor is the multiplier used by Pay Commissions to revise the basic salary and pensions of government employees. The revised pay is calculated by multiplying the existing basic pay by the proposed fitment factor.
The 7th Pay Commission had implemented a uniform fitment factor of 2.57 for employees. The latest proposal, however, recommends varying fitment factors depending on employee grade and pay level.
According to the proposal:
The proposed structure aims to provide comparatively higher revisions for senior-level employees while maintaining proportional hikes for lower and middle categories.
The revised basic salary would be calculated using the formula:
Current Basic Pay × Fitment Factor = Revised Basic Pay
For example, an employee in Level 1-5 earning a basic pay of ₹10,000 could see the revised basic salary rise to ₹29,200 under the proposed 2.92 factor.
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Similarly, a Level 13-16 employee with a current basic salary of ₹1 lakh could see it increase to ₹4.09 lakh if the 4.09 factor is approved.
The 8th Pay Commission is expected to impact more than 1.1 crore beneficiaries, including serving employees, pensioners and their families.
However, the commission has not yet submitted its final recommendations, and the government has not officially approved any proposed fitment structure so far.
