8th Pay Commission Updates: The railway organization has requested the Eighth Pay Commission to implement different fitment factors for employees at different levels. These factors range from 2.92 to 4.38.

Railways demands a 5-grade fitment factor.

8th Pay Commission: The Indian Railway Technical Supervisors Association (IRTSA) has placed a major demand for its employees before the 8th Pay Commission. Under this, the Railways has demanded a 5-grade fitment factor based on the pay matrix, instead of a uniform one for all employees. This means that different fitment factors should be applied to employees at different levels. Under this formula, the basic salary of higher-ranking officers and technical staff could increase by 192% to a maximum of 338%.

What is the complete calculation of the 5-graded fitment factor?

Under the 7th Pay Commission, there was a uniform fitment factor of 2.57 for all. In contrast, the IRTSA has proposed setting five different multipliers based on the responsibility of the post.

• Level 1-5 : 2.92
• Level 6-8 : 3.50
• Level 9-12 : 3.80
• Level 13-16 : 4.09
• Level 17-18 : 4.38

Furthermore, IRTSA has also recommended a new cadre structure and starting salary for railway technical supervisors. These are as follows:

• Junior Engineer (Level-7) Rs 1,57,400
• Senior Section Engineer (Gr-B, Level-8) Rs 1,66,800
• Assistant Manager (Gr-B, Level-9) Rs 2,01,600
• Manager (Gr-B, Level-10) Rs 2,13,000
• Senior Manager (Gr-A, Level-11) Rs 2,57,000

What is the railway's argument?

The Railway Association argues that previous pay commissions have significantly reduced the pay gap between senior supervisors and their subordinates. Supervisors often receive the same salary as their subordinates. The fitment factor of 4.38% will address this discrepancy.

Additionally, a significant salary hike has been proposed for top-level engineers and other senior positions within the Railways to ensure that government salaries remain attractive compared to those in the private sector. The organization has also made several other demands, including the automatic merger of DA into the basic salary, a 5% annual salary increase, and more.