West Bengal’s Seventh Pay Commission will now review the pay structure and service conditions of regular non-teaching employees in 25 state-aided universities and three education boards, according to a notification issued by the state Finance Department. The order expands the commission’s remit but does not announce an immediate salary increase or a date for implementing a revised pay structure.
The commission was formed on the basis of two proposals issued by the Finance Department on 22 July and 29 July. Its original responsibility was to examine the existing pay and allowance structure of state government employees and submit recommendations. The latest notification extends that review to additional public education institutions.
The universities covered include Calcutta University, Jadavpur University, Burdwan University, Kalyani University, North Bengal University, Rabindra Bharati University, Vidyasagar University and Gour Banga University. The list also includes Presidency University, Netaji Subhas Open University, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, West Bengal State University, Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University, Kazi Nazrul University, Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University, Diamond Harbour Women’s University, Bankura University, Raiganj University, Sanskrit College and University and Aliah University, among others.
The three education boards included in the expanded review are the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education and the West Bengal Board of Madrasah Education. The notification states that the pay structure and service conditions of their regular employees will also be examined by the commission.
The decision is significant for the administration of state-supported higher education and school examination systems, where non-teaching and board employees perform the operational work required to run institutions, examinations and administrative services. However, the notification does not specify how many employees will be affected or whether the review will result in a uniform revision across all the institutions.
It also does not provide details of the likely rate of salary increase, the proposed pay bands, the date from which any revised structure would apply or the treatment of arrears. Those matters may be considered after the commission submits its recommendations, but the notification itself does not establish a final benefit or implementation schedule.
The commission has been asked to submit the necessary recommendations as quickly as possible. The expansion follows expectations among state government employees for a review of pay and dearness allowance arrangements after the political change in West Bengal. The state government had earlier indicated that a pay commission would be established to examine the restructuring of employees’ pay. The next formal milestone will be the commission’s recommendations on the pay and service conditions of the newly included university and education-board employees.
