8th Pay Commission: JCM Staff Side Seeks PM Modi’s Intervention On OPS, Pensioner Anxiety

Since the announcement of the 8th Pay Commission’s Terms of Reference (ToR), numerous employee bodies have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, requesting the government to address the concerns of central government workers with a revision in the ToR.

The National Council (Staff Side) of the Joint Consultative Machinery (NC-JCM), representing central government employees, has recently sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the letter, the employees’ body has requested PM Modi to modify the ToR for the 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC) and to reinstate the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for central government staff covered by the National Pension System (NPS). 

Previously, the Confederation of Central Government Employees & Workers also submitted a letter to the Finance Ministry, requesting amendments to the ToR, including pension revisions for current pensioners and family pensioners, among other demands.

In its letter, the NC-JCM has urged the Prime Minister to revise the Terms of Reference for the 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC) to include the following key points:

• Reinstate the clause on “expectations of stakeholders”

• Incorporate pension revisions for current pensioners

• Restore the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for 26 lakh employees currently covered under the National Pension System (NPS)

• Remove the phrase “unfunded cost of non-contributory pension schemes”

• Declare Jan. 1, 2026, as the official date for the implementation of the 8th CPC recommendations

• Provide a 20% interim relief to employees and pensioners in recognition of delays in constituting the 8th Pay Commission

Shiva Gopal Mishra, secretary of the staff side of NC-JCM, has sent a letter to the Prime Minister, with a copy addressed to the Finance Minister, containing multiple proposals for modifying the Terms of Reference for the 8th Central Pay Commission. He emphasised that these changes would benefit the wider community of serving and retired central government employees, including those in the Armed Forces.

The NC-JCM staff side has pointed out that the crucial phrase “with due regard to the expectations of stakeholders,” which was an important element in the 7th Pay Commission’s Terms of Reference, is absent from the 8th CPC’s ToR. 

The employees’ body argues that omitting this phrase sends a disheartening message to lakhs of central government employees. Consequently, the NC-JCM has appealed to the Prime Minister to reinstate this wording in the 8th CPC ToR to properly reflect employees’ interests and expectations.

Earlier this month, various employee bodies raised concern over the alleged exclusion of pensioners from the ToR for the 8th Pay Commissions.

The concerns stem from the difference in the ToR text for the 8th Pay Commission, as compared to the same issued in 2014 following the approval granted for the 7th Pay Commission.

Notably, the ToR acts as a broad framework for the pay commissions.

The All India Defence Employees' Federation (AIDEF), in a letter written to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Nov. 4, pointed out that the ToR for 8th Pay Commission excludes the portion on examination of "pension and other retirement benefits".

On the other hand, the 7th Pay Commission's ToR explicitly mentioned that the panel will look into the pension structure of employees who have already retired.

Here's what the ToR for 7th Pay Commission stated: "To exаmine the principles which should govern the structure of pension and other retirement benefits, including revision of pension in the case of employees who have retired prior to the date of effect of these recommendations, keeping in view that retirement benefits of all Central Government Employees appointed on and after 01.01.2004 are covered by the New Pension Scheme (NPS)."

This portion, however, is missing from the ToR for the 8th Pay Commission, which was notified by the Department of Expenditure on Nov. 3.