6th pay award: Govt allows staff to choose new cut-off date

NEW DELHI: The 55 lakh Central government employees will now be able to choose a new date to draw their new pay scale under the Sixth Pay Commission award. According to an office-memorandum,  the Centre on Monday allowed its employees time till December to  fix the base date for taking the new pay scale, from a date that  is more beneficial to them. Earlier, they did not have this  option as the government had fixed January 1, 2006 as the  cut-off date for implementing the new pay award. The government, according to an office-memorandum, tweaked  the norms in view of the representations received from  employees. Earlier, the government, while implementing the Pay  Commission award in 2008, had given employees three months to  choose the switch-over date if it was later than January 1,  2006. The option, however, was to be binding.
The Sixth Pay Commission had recommended 40 per cent hike for  adjustment in the pre-revised basic pay, different pay bands and  grade pay benefiting about 55 lakh government employees.