All Assam Employees’ Council conference begins in Jorhat; pay, pension top agenda

Jorhat, Dec 26: The three-day 40th Annual Conference of the All Assam Employees’ Council commenced in Jorhat on Friday.

Addressing the gathering, AAEC General Secretary Pankaj Barman demanded that the Eighth Pay Commission—constituted every 10 years to revise the salaries of government employees—be formed from January 1, 2026, with its recommendations implemented from the same date.

“The All Assam Employees’ Council demands that the Eighth Pay Commission be constituted at the earliest,” Barman said.

Hosted by the Jorhat District Employees’ Council, the conference is being held at the premises of Chandra Kamal Bezbaruah Commerce College, Jorhat, and features a three-day programme. The first day witnessed an executive committee meeting followed by a delegates’ session.

Barman said long-pending issues concerning teachers and government employees would be discussed in detail during the conference. Two key demands have been prioritised—the formation of the Eighth Pay Commission and the scrapping of the New Pension Scheme (NPS).

He described the NPS as the most serious and pressing concern for Assam’s employees, stating that it has failed to ensure adequate post-retirement security. The Employees’ Council has repeatedly demanded the abolition of both the NPS and the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), and the reinstatement of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). Another major demand includes increasing earned leave for teachers to 30 days per year.

“These demands will be formally submitted to the government, and the Employees’ Council will continue its efforts until they are implemented,” Barman said.

He added that employees serve both the government and the public, and expressed hope that the government would adopt a positive approach and address these demands ahead of the upcoming elections.

Barman further noted that the current executive committee of the Employees’ Council has held several rounds of discussions with the Chief Minister, leading to the resolution of several long-standing issues.

These include the implementation of frisk pay and casual pay, provision of house rent allowance to 13,000 master roll workers, promotions for employees who had been deprived of career advancement for 25–30 years, resolution of service roll issues, and payment of salaries at the graduate scale.

He also stated that employees appointed, or whose recruitment advertisements were issued, before February 1, 2005—the date when the NPS was introduced—would be eligible for coverage under the Old Pension Scheme. Data collection in this regard is currently underway and will be followed by a verification process.

“We are hopeful that, in a phased manner, all eligible employees will be shifted from the NPS to the Old Pension Scheme,” he said.