8th pay commission: No more half-day CL for every late attendance? Key demands on attendance and leave rules

As the 8th Pay Commission begins examining proposals from employee organisations, one demand drawing attention concerns attendance rules. Employee unions have urged the panel to reconsider a rule requiring the deduction of half-day casual leave (CL) for reporting late to work.

More flexibility in late attendance rules

Currently, employees are allowed to report up to one hour late on two days a month without any penalty. If they are late beyond this limit, half a day of casual leave is deducted from their leave balance for each additional instance of late attendance.

Requesting for a change in the rule, the National Council-Joint Consultative Machinery (NC- JCM) staff side said in its memorendum, "Considering the present huge traffic conditions in almost all the cities and also the fact that Biometric attendance system is implemented in all the Central Government Establishments, the above provision may be amended that late attendance up to 120 minutes (2 Hours) in a month may be condoned and any late attendance after this 120 minutes grace period in a month, then Half day CL can be deducted," the staff side wrote in their memorandum to the 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC).

What is the current rule?

• Employees can arrive up to one hour late on two occasions in a month without any penalty.
• Any late attendance beyond these two instances attracts a penalty.
• For every additional instance of late attendance, half a day of casual leave is deducted from the employee's leave balance.

Proposed rule by NC-JCM

• Instead of counting the number of late arrivals, a monthly grace period of 120 minutes (2 hours) should be allowed.
• Employees can accumulate up to 120 minutes of late attendance in a month without any deduction.
• Once the total late attendance exceeds the 120-minute limit, half a day of CL may be deducted.

Better benefits for injured employees

NC-JCM also requested a change in a condition for work-related illness and injury leaves.

• It proposed that employees injured while on duty should receive full leave salary under Work-Related Illness and Injury Leave (WRIIL) without any deduction for compensation received under the Workmen's Compensation Act.
• They also want employees to continue earning leave credits while they remain on WRIIL.

The 8th Pay Commission recommendations are expected to affect more than 1.1 crore beneficiaries, including central government employees and pensioners, as well as their families. So far, India has witnessed seven pay commissions. The First Pay Commission was established in January 1946, and since then, a new pay commission has generally been constituted every 10 years.