Employees grievances on 7th CPC to be referred to high-level panel

The government on Wednesday said the concerns raised by central government employees’ unions on the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission would be examined by a high-level committee of secretaries.

Representatives from various unions met Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu on June 30. “They had requested that certain issues related to the pay scales and other recommendations of the Pay Commission  to be raised before a committee of secretaries looking into grievances of employees,” a statement said.

“The ministers assured the union leaders that the issues raised by them would be considered by a high level committee,” it said.

On June 29, Jaitley had said that a committee under Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa would be set up to examine the suggestions of the Seventh Pay Commission on allowances. Of 196 allowances, the CPC report had recommended abolition of 52 altogether and subsuming of another 36 into larger existing ones.

The government’s statement did not clarify whether this committee is the high level panel it spoke of.

The representatives of the employees unions had earlier conveyed to the centre that they did not want it to approve the CPC’s recommendations on allowances without examining them further.