The All Employees Joint Association, Jammu & Kashmir and The All Sikh Minority Employees Association are pushing for a fitment factor between 2.86 and 3.68 along with a minimum basic pay ranging from Rs 51,480 to Rs 66,240 from the 8 th Pay Commission during their recent meeting during in the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
In a joint report submitted to the 8 th Pay Commission chairperson Ranjana Prakash Desai and other officials, both the employee bodies from Jammu and Kashmir also demanded pension parity, dearness allowance merger, enhanced healthcare facilities, among other things.
Jagmeet Kour Bali, chairperson, the All Employees Joint Association, and All Sikh Minority Employees Association, Jammu & Kashmir, told ET Wealth Online, that both the employee bodies have also made a case for improved House Rent Allowance (HRA), tax relief, and career progression opportunities.
Bali said since many employees in Jammu & Kashmir face challenges due to difficult geographical and climatic conditions, both employee bodies have sought special relevance for the employees from the union territory.
Some of the key demands by All Employees Joint Association, Jammu & Kashmir and The All Sikh Minority Employees Association from the 8 th Pay Commission are as follows.
2.86 to 3.68 fitment factor for 8th Pay Commission
Unlike many employee bodies that have recommended a single fitment factor for all central government employees, both employee bodies from J&K have asked the 8 th Pay Commission to choose between 2.86, 3.0 and 3.68 fitment factors.
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The document submitted by the J&K employee bodies to the 8 th Pay Commission said, “Employees and pensioners of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir strongly support the adoption of a fitment factor between 2.86 and 3.68, which could raise the minimum basic pay from Rs 18,000 to between Rs 51,480 and Rs 66,240 while substantially improving pensionary benefits.
Impact analysis of different fitment factors (As per J&K employee bodies)
Current minimum basic pay of Rs 18,000 (Level 1 employee)
| Fitment Factor | Revised Minimum Pay |
| 2.57 | ₹ 46,260 |
| 2.86 | ₹ 51,480 |
| 3 | ₹ 54,000 |
| 3.68 | ₹ 66,240 |
The J&K employee bodies argue that a 3.86 fitment factor would significantly improve employee welfare and restore purchasing power that has been affected by inflation.
Among its other demands, the J&K employee bodies have suggested the 8 th Pay Commission the following changes to be implemented for employees from the union territories-
- Full pension parity for all pensioners
- Merger of Dearness Allowance before pay fixation
- Revision of minimum basic pay to reflect current living standards
- Enhanced healthcare and social security measures
- Improved HRA structure, particularly for urban and difficult areas
- Strengthened promotion and career progression mechanisms
- Reduction of commuted pension restoration period to 12 years
- Special consideration for employees serving in remote, border and hardship areas of Jammu & Kashmir
Special relevance for Jammu & Kashmir employees
The J&K employee bodies say since employees in Jammu & Kashmir face several unique challenges, they should be given special relevance in the new pay commission.
Some of the challenges that the employee bodies have recommended in its report are-
- Difficult geographical and climatic conditions
- High transportation costs in remote and hilly districts
- Rising housing costs in urban centres such as Jammu and Srinagar
- Increased expenditure on education and healthcare
- Service delivery responsibilities in border and far-flung areas
- Security-related challenges in certain regions
