Pay revision for Kerala government employees announced

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Cabinet on Wednesday decided to implement the pay revision commission report with some modifications.

The salaries of government employees will increase by Rs. 2000 to Rs. 12000 crore as a result of the revision. The minimum salary will be Rs. 16500. Special and risk allowances will go up by ten percent.

Revised salaries and pensions will be paid from next month with two installments of dearness allowance pertaining to 2015 (9 per cent).  The revision will have retrospective effect from July 2014. Arrears will be paid over two and a half years from April 2017 in four installments. Interest will be paid on the arrears at Provident Fund rates.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy announced after the Cabinet meeting that a medical insurance scheme would be implemented for pensioners. A committee headed by Chief Secretary would be formed to look into the second part of the report of the Pay Commission and other recommendations on service matters. It would be the responsibility of the next government to implement them. Pay scales of university employees would be revised on par with that of government employees.

The revision will involve an additional expenditure of Rs. 7222 crore annually. The expenditure has been brought down from Rs. 8122 through certain modifications to the pay commission recommendations such as that on higher grades and scales.  The master scale minimum is fixed as Rs. 16500 (as on July 1, 2014) and timescales are modified in tune with the general formula recommended by the Commission. The recommendation of higher scale as recommended by the commission has been limited to a single level for the scale below 24040-38840, and no new higher grades have been sanctioned. Still, the expenditure on salaries, pension and interest will be 80 per cent of the revenue.

Other key points of the revision:

• House rent allowance, city compensatory allowance and other allowances will be paid at rates recommended by the Commission. In case of certain allowances, 10 per cent annual increase will be permitted in excess of the recommended rates.
• No change in earned leave surrender and LTC.
• Fixation and increments as recommended by Commission (12% fitment benefit, half per cent weightage for every year of service. 18 % fitment for pension.
• Death cum retirement gratuity increased to Rs. 14 lakhs from Rs. 7 lakhs.
• Family pension will be introduced for ex-gratia pensioners.
• Minimum revised salaries for some important posts will be as follows with existing scales in brackets.

LDF Clerk- Rs. 19000 (Rs. 9940)
Police Constable- Rs.22200 (Rs. 10480)
LP/UP teacher- Rs. 25200 (Rs. 13210)
High School teacher- Rs. 29200 (Rs. 15380)
Higher Secondary teacher- Rs. 39500 (Rs. 20740)
Assistant Engineer- Rs. 39500 (Rs. 20740)
Assistant Surgeon- Rs.51600 (Rs. 27140)
Staff Nurse- Rs. 27800 (Rs. 13900)

• Minimum pay of part-time employees will be Rs. 8200 (RS. 4250) and maximum pay will be Rs. 16460 (Rs. 8400)
• Minimum scale of casual sweepers- Rs. 6000 (against Rs. 5000 recommended by Commission)
• Wages of daily workers will be revised every year from April 2016 on the principle of same pay for same work. The wages will be fixed based on minimum of corresponding pay scales and change in consumer price index.
• Option over new and old scales discontinued as recommended by Commission.
• Employees undergoing organ transplantation surgeries will get special leave of 90 days.
• Special pays discontinued except for doctors in health services.
• A cell will be set up examine complaints regarding anomalies in pay revision.