8th Pay Commission: Will the salaries of rural postal workers increase? There are high expectations for the 8th Pay Commission.

Will Rural Postal Workers Get a Pay Hike? Expectations Rise After 8th Pay Commission Announcement

After months of anticipation, the Central Government has finally announced the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the 8th Pay Commission, bringing a wave of relief to nearly 10 million government employees and pensioners across India. The announcement marks the beginning of a major review of pay structures, allowances, and benefits for central government staff — and now, rural postal workers (Gramin Dak Sevaks) are demanding to be included under this new commission as well.

Government Constitutes the 8th Pay Commission

According to the official notification, the government has formed a three-member commission headed by Justice Ranjana Desai. The panel’s mandate includes reviewing salaries, bonuses, gratuities, allowances, and performance-based incentives of central government employees.

The commission has been asked to submit its recommendations within 18 months from the date of its formation. However, it has also been given the flexibility to submit an interim report if certain urgent recommendations need to be implemented earlier.

Rural Postal Workers Demand Inclusion

Following the government’s announcement, Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) — who form the backbone of India’s rural postal network — have intensified their demand to be included under the 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC).

Member of Parliament Ambika Laxminarayan Valmiki has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the government to bring nearly 2.75 lakh GDS employees within the purview of the new pay commission.

Valmiki highlighted that rural postal workers handle crucial responsibilities similar to their urban counterparts, such as mail delivery, small post office management, money order services, banking transactions, Aadhaar services, and other government initiatives. Despite their critical role, GDS employees are often governed by separate committees, which prevents them from receiving the salary revisions and benefits provided to regular government employees under pay commissions.

Why GDS Are Treated Differently

At present, Gramin Dak Sevaks are not recognized as central government employees. Therefore, they were not covered under the 7th Pay Commission either. Their service conditions and pay structure are instead determined by departmental committees within the Postal Department, not by the Central Pay Commission.

This classification has long been a matter of debate. Rural postal workers argue that they perform similar duties to those of regular postal employees but continue to receive lower wages and fewer benefits. The current demand to include them under the 8th CPC is seen as a major push toward parity and fair compensation.

Timeline and Next Steps

The 8th Pay Commission has already begun preliminary work to gather data, study existing pay structures, and evaluate employee performance-based criteria. As per the government’s directive, the commission must submit its final report by April 2027.

If the report is prepared ahead of schedule, the government may consider implementing the recommendations earlier. Once the recommendations are reviewed and approved by the Cabinet, the new salary structure will be rolled out across departments.

This process could result in significant increases in salaries, pensions, and allowances for millions of government workers. For rural postal staff, inclusion in the 8th Pay Commission could mean a long-awaited financial upgrade and recognition of their contributions to India’s postal network.

Growing Hopes Among Government Employees

The announcement of the 8th Pay Commission has sparked renewed optimism across the public sector. Employees and pensioners expect higher fitment factors, better dearness allowance (DA) adjustments, and the introduction of performance-linked incentives to boost productivity.

For now, all eyes are on the government’s next move — whether it will expand the scope of the 8th CPC to include Gramin Dak Sevaks and address one of the longest-standing demands in India’s postal services.