Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) opines that the terms of reference 8th Central Pay Commission raise serious doubt about the very intention of the Govt aimed at furthering austerity measures detrimental to the legitimate interests/entitlements of employees and economy at large.
The Modi led Govt took almost a year to appoint the chairman and a part time member to the commission and to approve terms of reference that too with an eye on Bihar Elections while the initial announcement of CPC was made just before Delhi elections.
The much-delayed decision on the chairman and the terms of reference shall make the employees to wait for almost two years to get the benefit, if any, of the recommendations, of the commission.
The terms of reference and the inclusion of the phrases of 'unfunded noncontributory old pension','fiscal prudence and economic feasibility' etc, having its own different mis-interpretable connotations and mal-intentions under the present policy regime by this Union Govt and several State Govts, may have negative impact on the upward revision of the pay, perks, pension and others benefits the employees are entitled to.
The terms of reference in the background of the Validation Act enacted by the Union Govt as part of Finance Bill 2025 will be disastrously destructive on the pension benefits and others benefits of the Pensioners. It must be repealed forthwith as integral part of the Central Pay Commission exercise.
The Union Govt which has doled out lakhs of crores of rupees to corporate, domestic and foreign through Production Linked Incentive (PLI), Capex Incentive, Employment Linked Incentive (ELI), Electronics Components Manufacturing Incentive and other concessions of tax cuts, and waiver of bank-loans to the corporate, is trying to curtail the entitlements and benefits of the employees.
The terms of reference may be effectively used to bring in total pension regime change to suit the interests of neo liberalism, eyeing on huge quantum of pension fund, affecting both old and future pensioners. Having failed to persuade the employees under NPS to shift to UPS, the Union Govt has desperately come up with the obnoxious offensive terms of reference to scuttle whatever OPS is existing. The terms of reference are weaponized against the employee’s movement urging for nothing less than OPS rejecting both NPS and UPS.
CITU urges the Union Govt to amend the terms of reference to unconditionally ensure all-round upward revision of wages and other benefits and entitlements of the employees and all pensioners(to be brought under OPS) for which the Central Pay Commission is meant for, in the interests of the employees and also the national economy.
The CITU stands with the central and state Govt employees struggles against the neo liberal austerity measures.
Tapan Sen
General Secretary
