Railway engineers presented pay-parity and career-growth demands to the 8th Pay Commission during consultations.
Railway engineers have raised their grievances with the 8th Pay Commission at the recently held meeting in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. They urged the 8th Pay Commission to take cognisance of and address long-standing grievances regarding pay parity, career satisfaction, job growth and promotion opportunities during the stakeholder discussions.
These demands were presented by the All India Railway Engineers Federation (AIREF) and the East Coast Railway Engineers Association (ECoREA) before the 8th Pay Commission’s Member Secretary, Pankaj Jain, according to a report in The New Indian Express.
According to the AIREF Secretary General, BP Dash, the payment structure for railway engineers has not been sufficient to help them cope with current economic challenges. Furthermore, it has steadily deteriorated since the implementation of the 6th Pay Commission, he said.
Railway engineers should get Group B status
Dash added that, despite railway engineers performing critical safety and technical responsibilities, several non-technical and non-safety cadres currently enjoy higher pay scales. The federation has sought changes in this regard and has requested that the 8th Pay Commission consider restoring the pay hierarchy that existed until the 5th Pay Commission. He has also asked that railway engineers be given Group B status comparable to that of officers in other Central Government ministries.
Another major concern highlighted was the extremely low representation of Group B posts in the Indian Railways. AIREF requested that the share of Group B positions be increased from the current 0.29% to the national average of 7.5%, saying that the current structure severely limits career growth and promotion opportunities.
Organising Secretary General Sivakant Singh also highlighted the issues of stagnation, lack of motivation and the lack of progress faced by railway engineers.
This meeting was held on 6 and 7 July, as part of the 8th Pay Commission's nationwide consultations with employee unions, pensioners and other stakeholders before preparing its final recommendations. The 8th Pay Commission will complete its consultations in Kolkata today, i.e., 10 July.
Similar meetings have already been conducted in Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Srinagar, Ladakh and Bhubaneswar. Besides railway-specific issues, employee organisations across the country are pressing for a higher fitment factor, improved allowances, pension reforms, revisions to the House Rent Allowance (HRA) and reforms to the Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) scheme.
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Key demands of railway employees
Key Demand | Current Position | Demand by AIREF |
|---|---|---|
| Pay Structure | Lower than several non-technical cadres | Restore parity as maintained till the 5th Pay Commission |
| Group B Posts | 0.29% in Railways | Increase to the national average of 7.5% |
| Career Progression | Limited promotional opportunities | Address stagnation and improve promotion avenues |
| Service Status | Existing structure | Group B status in line with other Central ministries |
While the stakeholder meetings will not result in immediate revisions, they provide employee organisations with an opportunity to present evidence-based demands and share real-life experiences with the commission ahead of its final recommendations to the Union Government.
The 8th Pay Commission, constituted on 3 November 2025, has been tasked with reviewing pay, pensions and allowances while balancing employee expectations with the government's fiscal priorities.
Its recommendations are expected to impact more than 1.1 crore serving Central Government employees and pensioners.
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