8th pay commission
The National Federation of Postal Organizations, the leading organization of postal employees, has placed many important demands before the 8th Pay Commission. In the memorandum submitted on April 20, 2026, demands have been made for salary increase, improvement in allowances, promotion and new facilities for women employees. This step has been taken at a time when the 8th Central Pay Commission is going to hold talks with employee unions and organizations in New Delhi between 28th and 30th April.
Demand to increase salary from entry level to postman
FNPO has proposed to increase the minimum basic salary for entry level (Level 1) employees to Rs 69,000, which is currently Rs 18,000 under the 7th Pay Commission. There has been a demand to increase the basic salary of postman and mail guard (Level 5) from Rs 25,500 to Rs 1.12 lakh.
Apart from this, a big salary increase has also been proposed for postal and sorting assistants, supervisors and other cadre. The organization has also recommended merging some pay levels, so as to simplify the pay structure.
3.83 fitment factor and 6% annual increment
FNPO has demanded implementation of 3.83 fitment factor for all employees, which was 2.57 in the 7th Pay Commission. New salary and pension are decided only through fitment factor, hence it will have a direct impact on the income of the employees.
Also, the organization has demanded to increase the annual increment from 3% to 6%. FNPO says the current 3% growth is not enough considering inflation, especially rising urban expenditure, healthcare and education expenditure.
Emphasis on promotion, HRA and asset allocation
The organization has demanded to give at least 5 promotions to every employee under the Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) scheme, so that the problem of salary stagnation can be solved. House Rent Allowance (HRA) is also proposed to be increased by 40% in X category cities, 35% in Y and 30% in Z. FNPO says that HRA should be increased from time to time by linking it with Dearness Allowance (DA).
Focus on women employees and health facilities
There have been demands for 12 menstrual leaves a year, better child care leave (CCL), crèche facility and gender-sensitive posting for women employees. Apart from this, it has been suggested to provide cashless treatment facility under CGHS to all employees and pensioners and extend it to more districts.
Demand for pension and other reforms
FNPO has demanded that the expenditure on pension and family pension should be removed from the department and paid directly from the Central Government funds. The organization argues that this will reduce artificial financial pressure on the department. Along with this, demand has also been made for review of all allowances, appropriate compensation for savings bank related work and uniform salary fixation for ex-servicemen.
What next?
The 8th Pay Commission will also hold meetings in different states and union territories in the coming months. Recommendations will be prepared on the basis of these meetings. Overall, if these demands of postal employees are accepted, then lakhs of employees and pensioners can get huge benefits and their financial condition can improve.
