7th Pay Commission: Delay in allowances may lead to government employee forum calling a strike

So far, there has been no official word on Ashok Lavasa committee submitting its report on revised allowances to government. The long delay has left employees frustrated

Nearly 10 months since the Narendra Modi government cleared the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission, roughly 50 lakh employees are still waiting to enjoy the benefits, in totality.

The Committee on Allowances, which was formed to review the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission on allowances, is yet to submit its report.

According to reports, the committee, which is led by Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa, is likely to submit the report to Finance Ministry this week.

So far, there has been no official word on whether the report has been submitted. The long delay in allowances has left government employees frustrated.

If reports are to be believed, the National Joint Council of Action (NJCA), an employees' representative organisation, may call for a nationwide strike if the Committee on Allowances fails to submit its report.

In another development, the Human Resource and Development (HRD) ministry has formed a committee to review the recommendations of University Grants Commission (UGC) on implementation of Seventh Pay Commission in educational institutions.

HERE ARE THE MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS IN THE SEVENTH PAY COMMISSION STORY:

• National Joint Council of Action convenor Shiv Gopal Mishra said Central government employees might go on strike if the Committee on Allowances delays submission of report.
• The National Council Staff Side has called a meeting on May 2 to discuss the next course of action.
• The Seventh Pay Commission had recommended abolishing 53 of the 196 allowances, and subsuming 36 other allowances. It also recommended slashing the House Rent Allowance (HRA)--for metros, commission recommended bringing down the HRA from 30 per cent to 24 per cent.
• Government employees protested against the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission, following which the Narendra Modi government formed a committee under Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa to review the suggestions.
• The Committee on Allowances was constituted in July and after an extended deadline was asked to submit its report to the government by February 22, 2017.
• That the Ashok Lavasa-led committee had missed its deadline was revealed by Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal while replying to a question on Seventh Pay Commission in Parliament.
• It was reported that the Committee on Allowances could not submit its report as it had sought comments from various ministries on 14 allowances.
• Speculations are rife that the Committee on Allowances is likely to recommend against reducing HRA. A few reports had suggested that the committee is unlikely to vote for a hike in transport allowance.