NEW DELHI: While the government has set up the office for the 8th Pay Commission at Chanderlok Building, the employee unions are not sitting idle. Sources from the National Council (JCM) indicate that a consolidated “Demand Charter” is currently being drafted to be presented to the Commission Chairman later this month.

With the 8th CPC effective date now active (Jan 1, 2026), the unions have narrowed down their focus to three non-negotiable pillars. These aren’t just requests; they are the core conditions for avoiding industrial unrest in 2026.

Demand #1: The 3.68 Fitment Factor

The most critical battle is over the “Fitment Factor.” In the 7th CPC, the government implemented a factor of 2.57, which unions argued was insufficient to combat inflation. This time, the Staff Side is reportedly preparing a dossier of inflation data to justify a factor of 3.68.

• Current Minimum Pay: ₹18,000
• Govt Expected Offer (2.86x): ₹51,480 (approx)
• Union Demand (3.68x): ₹66,240

Note: The final settlement usually happens somewhere in the middle, but the starting bid from unions will be aggressive.

Demand #2: The ’18-Month’ Ghost Returns

The frozen Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears from the COVID-19 period (Jan 2020 – June 2021) remain a sore point. Although the government has technically closed the chapter, the 8th Pay Commission has the mandate to review “past anomalies.”

Unions are planning to categorize this as a “Deferred Payment” rather than a cancelled one, urging the Commission to recommend a one-time settlement as a goodwill gesture for the workforce’s contribution during the pandemic.

Demand #3: Automatic Pay Revision

Why wait 10 years? Another modern demand gaining traction is the “Periodic Revision Mechanism.” Unions want a recommendation that salaries should automatically rise when DA crosses 50% (which already happens for allowances) without waiting for a decade-long Commission cycle.