8th Pay Commission: The commission held a meeting in Delhi from April 28 to 30, where employee unions raised several major issues related to pay hike, inflation rate, DA & other relevant issues. The Pay Commission will observe decision on these demands. If accepted, they could lead to significant changes in salaries and benefits, especially for government teachers.
8th Pay Commission: Demand for Higher Starting Salary for Teachers
During the meeting, employee organisations demanded that the initial salary of government teachers (Level 6) must be increased to ₹1,34,500. If this proposal be approved, this would result in a massive hike in teachers’ pay which may give a helping hand to them to beat rising inflation.
8th Pay Commission: Fitment Factor and Annual Increment Proposal
Unions also proposed increasing the fitment factor from 2.62 to 3.83, which is higher than the current level of around 2.57. In addition, they demanded an annual salary increment of 6% to 7%.
8th Pay Commission: DA Merger with Basic Pay Demand
Another important demand relates to Dearness Allowance (DA). Unions suggested that once DA reaches 50%, it should be merged with the basic salary. This move could provide better financial benefits to employees, especially at the time of retirement.
8th Pay Commission: HRA and Transport Allowance Demands
Teacher organisations have also demanded changes in some other allowances. As per reports, House Rent Allowance (HRA) to be revised to 12%, 24%, and 36% & Transport allowance to be increased to 12%–15% of basic pay.
8th Pay Commission: Retirement Age and Pension-Related Demands
Unions have demanded for increasing the retirement age to 65 years and raising the gratuity limit to ₹50 lakh. It has insisted to reintroducing the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) instead of NPS and UPS for betterment.
8th Pay Commission: Digital Allowance and Other Benefits
To support digital work, unions has demanded a monthly internet reimbursement of ₹2,000. They also requested to increase the number of holidays for employees.
The 8th Pay Commission was set up in November 2025 and has been given 18 months to consult stakeholders and submit its recommendations. As part of this process, meetings like the one held in Delhi are being conducted to gather suggestions from various employee groups.
