This is in conformity with the legal obligations under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act which mandates Children to support dependent parents, the memorandum said.
“The present system of treating a family as three units should be dispensed with,” the workers demanded, referring to the Social Security Code 2020 where the definition of family includes dependent parents, and female employees can include their parent-in-laws as part of their family.
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“Government services is not merely contractual but a status that carries expectation of fairness and dignity,” the memorandum said, noting “the current Minimum Pay is inadequate and must ensure a decent standard of living and not subsistence.”
Terming the existing 2700 kilocalorie (Kcal) as an inadequate norm for food and nutrition, the workers said Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recommendation of 3490 Kcal should be adopted.
“The minimum pay computed by the Staff Side National Council (JCM) is Rs. 69,000 for a five-unit family,” the memorandum said, demanding the fitment formula for the existing employees and pensioners should be 3.833. The current minimum pay band for central government employees based on a three-member family is 18,000- 56,900. Seventh Pay Commission introduced a fitment factor of 2.57, raising the minimum basic pay to Rs 17,990 from Rs 7,000.Calling for reducing pay disparity within government, the workers also said the gap between Minimum and Maximum Pay should be balanced. “The ratio should not be more than 1:12,” the memorandum said.
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Raising concerns over calculation of dearness allowance (DA), workers said a new methodology should be adopted. “The consumption pattern of Central Government employees differs from that of industrial workers,” the memorandum said, calling for a separate consumption basket with appropriate weights for essential expenditure heads such as food, housing, education, healthcare, and transportation.
“Price data should be collected from open retail markets and cooperative outlets to ensure that the index reflects the actual prices paid by consumers rather than administratively determined prices,” the memorandum added.