The Indian Railways Technical Supervisors’ Association (IRTSA) has urged the Centre to raise the Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) wage ceiling for non-gazetted railway employees, seeking a minimum ceiling of ₹18,000 plus dearness allowance (DA) for Level-1 employees.
For employees in Level-2 and above, the association has demanded that the ceiling be increased proportionately in line with their higher pay levels.
In the Railways, the PLB is announced and disbursed every single year just before the Durga Puja and Dussehra holidays as a festive incentive for non-gazetted employees.
Current ₹7,000 PLB ceiling is outdated, says IRTSA
In a letter dated September 8, IRTSA Secretary General KV Ramesh wrote to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, pointing out that the existing PLB ceiling of ₹7,000 was fixed in Financial Year 2014-15.
According to the association, the ceiling no longer reflects the salary structure under the 7th Pay Commission or the current DA rate of 60%.
IRTSA said the PLB amount for non-gazetted railway employees has effectively remained at ₹17,951 since 2014-15, when the 6th Pay Commission salary structure was applicable.
The association said that merely adjusting the earlier calculation for the current 60% DA would have taken the amount to ₹27,824. This, it argued, does not even account for the higher salary levels introduced under the 7th Pay Commission.
The demand from IRTSA comes soon after the National Council–Joint Consultative Machinery (), the main body representing central government employees, sought an increase in the PLB wage ceiling for all non-gazetted employees.
Last month, NC-JCM requested the government to raise the ceiling from ₹7,000 to ₹21,000.
Employee associations have argued that the existing ceiling is no longer aligned with the current pay structure because the minimum basic salary under the 7th is ₹18,000.
They have also pointed to the significant increase in DA since the existing PLB ceiling was established.
For railway employees, however, the annual PLB currently works out to ₹17,951.
IRTSA calculates minimum PLB at ₹46,184
IRTSA has also provided a calculation to explain the minimum bonus it wants for railway employees.
The association said that if the PLB were calculated using the minimum basic pay of ₹18,000 for 78 days, the bonus would amount to ₹46,184.
A key difference is that the Productivity Linked Bonus for railway employees is calculated on the basis of 78 days.
For other central government employees, the PLB is calculated using 30 days.
IRTSA’s demand, therefore, seeks to align the bonus calculation with the present basic pay structure while retaining the existing 78-day calculation applicable to railway employees.