IRTSA Presents Key Demands Before 8th Pay Commission, Seeks Higher Pay Levels and Group-B Status for SSEs

The Indian Railways Technical Supervisors’ Association (IRTSA) has presented its memorandum and detailed recommendations to the 8th Central Pay Commission during an interaction held in Hyderabad on May 19, 2026. The association highlighted long-standing issues affecting Railway Technical Supervisors, including career stagnation, pay anomalies, and limited promotional opportunities.

During the meeting, IRTSA submitted a comprehensive presentation outlining the challenges faced by Junior Engineers (JEs) and Senior Section Engineers (SSEs). The association urged the Commission to revise pay structures to better reflect the technical responsibilities, safety-critical nature of the work, and occupational hazards associated with these posts.

Among its major demands, IRTSA sought the classification of the Senior Section Engineer post as a Group-B Gazetted position and proposed a minimum pay of ₹52,600 under the 8th Pay Commission framework. The association also recommended higher fitment factors for safety-category posts in the Ministry of Railways. It suggested a fitment factor of 3.50 for employees in Pay Levels 6, 7, and 8, and 3.80 for those in Pay Levels 9 to 12.

The presentation was delivered by K.V. Ramesh, General Secretary of IRTSA, who discussed several issues concerning Technical Supervisors. These included pay-level anomalies affecting JEs and SSEs, the need for a five-grade promotional structure beginning at Level 7, disturbances in vertical and horizontal pay relativities, and the inadequate number of Group-B posts in Railway technical departments.

IRTSA also highlighted stagnation among SSEs, particularly Graduate Engineers recruited directly to the SSE grade, and called for the inclusion of training periods for the purpose of Modified Assured Career Progression Scheme (MACPS) benefits. The association further sought implementation of MACPS from January 1, 2006, in line with relevant court judgments.

The discussion also covered bottlenecks in promotions to Group-B posts, which IRTSA attributed to the limited number of vacancies and continued disparities in comparison with other categories. The association raised concerns regarding allowances for Technical Supervisors, including Night Duty Allowance, Overtime Allowance, and Production Control Organisation (PCO) Allowance.

IRTSA explained the impact of the withdrawal of PCO Allowance for SSEs in Level 8 and emphasised the importance of incentive schemes in improving productivity across Railway Production Units and workshops. It also requested extension of Accident-Free Service Awards and Risk & Hardship Allowances to open-line engineers and staff.

In addition, the association proposed the introduction of a Group Incentive Scheme for open-line engineers and staff based on performance benchmarks prescribed by the Railway Board for maintenance activities.

According to IRTSA, the Member Secretary of the 8th Central Pay Commission interacted extensively on the issues raised and took note of the concerns relating to technical supervisory staff in Indian Railways.

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