Employees remain anxious despite appointment of Pay Revision Commission

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Employees are worried that even though the Pay Commission has been appointed, the present government may not be able to implement the pay revision.

The commission, chaired by V P Joy, has been given three months to submit its report, with the deadline set for May 23. However, the government’s term ends on May 20, and the model code of conduct for elections will be in force until then. As a result, the current government is unlikely to take any action on the report.

There are allegations that the commission, which was supposed to come into effect in April 2024, was deliberately delayed until the end of the government’s term.

The commission will also recommend increases in other benefits and suggest new measures related to service and pay conditions. It will point out the financial burden of the revision as well. A special committee will later be appointed to study how to implement these recommendations, and that responsibility will fall on the next government.

Financial impact and past revisions
The 11th Pay Revision was implemented in 2021 with retrospective effect from 2019. Around Rs 4,000 crore was required to pay arrears, and the revision led to an additional annual expense of about Rs 25,000 crore.

However, during the 11th revision, the earlier special pay fixation method, where basic pay, dearness allowance, fitment benefit, and service weightage were combined to fix the new scale, was removed. Instead, a “stage-to-stage fixation” system was introduced. As a result, the revision was largely limited to the merger of dearness allowance. Employees are now closely watching what method will be adopted this time.

The current budget has set aside Rs 23,000 crore for implementing the pay revision. The financial burden will increase further if arrears also have to be paid.

• Due to the financial crisis, benefits, including leave surrender, were cut in 2002.
• In 2013, the government withdrew from the statutory pension system to reduce pension liability.
• In 2022, the government stepped back from directly covering employees’ medical expenses and shifted it to a private insurance scheme called Medisep, with premiums deducted from employees’ salaries.

“The election notification will be issued soon. The Pay Commission will not be able to do anything,” said A. M. Jaffer Khan, State President of the NGO Association.

“The assurance to implement pay revision every five years must be honoured,” said K. P. Gopakumar, General Secretary of the Joint Council.

“It is shameful to shift the responsibility of implementing the pay revision, which should have been done by the Pinarayi government, to the next government,” said T. N. Ramesh, General Secretary of the Kerala Gazetted Officers’ Association.