8th pay commission
The upcoming 8th Pay Commission for government employees will no longer be limited to just food, clothing and shelter. Employee unions have demanded that in today’s digital era, expenses like mobile recharge, internet, data pack and Wi-Fi should also be included while determining the minimum wage. In the method adopted till now, only food, clothing, shelter, electricity and water, children’s education and some entertainment were counted.
Employees say that in today’s time it is impossible to work without mobile and internet. Be it government work or household work. The National Council-JCM (Staff Side) has suggested to the 8th Pay Commission that while fixing the minimum wage, some basic things should be included, including how many calories an adult needs daily. In a family, a complete unit is required, assuming husband, wife and two children. Apart from food and drinks, the cost of clothes, shoes and slippers should also be kept in mind. Also, there should be a separate amount for festivals, marriages and social expenses and most importantly, the minimum salary should be fixed on the basis of today’s essential digital needs like mobile phone, internet, data pack, OTT subscription.
What difference will the 7th Pay Commission make?
The 7th Pay Commission had kept the minimum wage at Rs 18,000 using the old formula of the Indian Labor Conference of 1957. There was no mention of things like mobile-internet in it, because these were not common at that time. Now the employees want that the 8th Pay Commission should make a new and modern formula as per today, which should also include digital expenses. He says that without internet today it is difficult to do a job, educate children online or run government apps.
If this demand is accepted, then there can be a significant increase in the minimum salary from the 8th Pay Commission and the fitment factor is also expected to be higher than before. At present, the 8th Pay Commission has been formed and will submit its report by 2026-27. The employees hope that this time their digital needs will definitely be heard.