8th Pay Commission announcement expected by September: Shiv Gopal Mishra

The constitution of 8th Pay Commission to revise the salary and allowances of central government employees, and the monthly pension paid to pensioners, is expected by September, said top union leader Shiv Gopal Mishra.

Mishra, the Secretary of National Council (Staff Side) of Joint Consultative Machinery (JCM) – a recognised body of central government employees – wrote to the government last month, urging prompt measures to be taken for the formation of the pay panel.

Mishra said that the JCM expects the 8th Pay Commission to be announced by September.

On being asked whether there is any possibility of the announcement being made in the upcoming budget, the union leader replied, "That will be better... But we are expecting that by September, they must announce."

"As far as the Staff Side (JCM) is concerned, we have already submitted a letter to the Union Cabinet Secretary, and made our request before the Finance Minister," he added.

Mishra had written to Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba in June, urging him to prioritise the formation of the 8th Pay Commission as it is awaited by over 1 crore government employees and pensioners.

Meeting with FM

The letter written to the Cabinet Secretary by Mishra was followed by a meeting between Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and central trade union (CTU) representatives on June 23 as part of pre-budget consultations.

The trade unions drew Sitharaman's attention towards the formation of 8th Pay Commission, Mishra confirmed. "The finance minister patiently listened to our demand," he added.

Among those who met Sitharaman included representatives from 12 central trade unions, including Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Centre of India Trade Unions (CITU), All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC) and All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU).

Notably, the government forms pay commissions at every 10 years to review the salary of its employees. The Manmohan Singh-led government had formed the 7th Pay Commission in February 2014, and its recommendations were implemented from January 1, 2016. The due date for the implementation of 8th Pay Commission recommendations is January 1, 2026.