Postal employees across India have placed a wide set of demands before the 8th Pay Commission, seeking higher salaries, better benefits and changes in working conditions.
The proposal has been submitted by the Federation of National Postal Organisations (FNPO) ahead of the , according to a report by Mint.
The memorandum, dated April 20, 2026, covers a broad group of employees, including postal assistants, sorting staff, postmen, officers and technical teams.
One of the key expectations among postal staff is the payment of arrears.
Employees are expecting back-pay ranging from around Rs 3.6 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. The exact amount will depend on their current pay level and the fitment factor that is finally approved.
These arrears are linked to the gap between the formation of the Pay Commission in January 2026 and the eventual implementation of its recommendations.
At the centre of the proposal is a demand for higher basic pay to reflect rising living costs.
The FNPO has recommended a fitment factor of 3.83. This is significantly higher than the 2.57 used in the previous pay commission and would lead to a sharp increase in salaries if accepted.
The union has also asked for annual salary increments to be raised from 3% to 6%, saying that current increases are not enough to keep up with rising costs such as housing and healthcare.
Another major demand is related to house rent allowance (HRA). Postal staff have proposed HRA rates of up to 40%, depending on the city category.
They have also suggested that HRA should be linked directly to changes in dearness allowance (DA), so that it rises automatically with inflation.
The memorandum also focuses on long-term career growth.
The FNPO has asked for improvements in the Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) scheme. It wants at least five assured promotions during an employee’s career to reduce stagnation.
There are also demands related to workplace conditions, especially for women employees.
These include:
Introduction of menstrual leaveExpansion of Child Care Leave (CCL)Crche facilities at workplacesMore flexible and sensitive posting policies
Postal staff have also raised concerns about pension and healthcare systems.
The FNPO has suggested that pension payments should be charged to the Consolidated Fund of India instead of being handled through departmental budgets. It argues that the current system creates a misleading financial burden on the postal department.
On healthcare, the union has asked for wider access to the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS). This includes:
Cashless treatment for all serving and retired employeesExpansion of CGHS centres to more districtsRegular revision of medical package rates
The has said it has received numerous requests from employee groups for meetings between April 28 and April 30 in New Delhi.
. However, the Commission has said it will hold more consultations in different states and Union Territories in the coming months.
Stakeholders outside Delhi-NCR have been advised to wait for further schedules when the Commission visits their regions.
The Pay Commission is currently in the consultation stage, where it is gathering inputs from different employee groups, including postal staff.
Final decisions on salaries, allowances and other benefits will be taken after these discussions and a detailed review process.
For now, the demands put forward by postal employees highlight the key issues that are likely to shape discussions around the 8th Pay Commission in the coming months.