Rules, Rights & Rites -160
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Pay fixation rules for ex-servicemen re-employed as Postal Assistants (PA) or Sorting Assistants (SA).
• The Department of Posts, after consulting with the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), has determined that Para 16(2) of the CCS (Fixation of Pay of Re-employed Pensioners) Orders, 1986, does not apply to ex-servicemen re-employed as Postal Assistants or Sorting Assistants.
• The DoPT reiterated that while the rules in Para 16(2) are explicit, they specifically apply to clerical and storekeeper posts; the posts of PA and SA are not mentioned in these provisions.
• The department highlighted that PAs and SAs have historically been placed in higher pay scales and have higher educational requirements (currently Graduation) compared to Lower Division Clerks (now JSAs), who require only a 10+2 qualification.
• Although certain benefits were extended to Telegraphists and Telephone Operators in 1987 due to identical pay scales at that time, those benefits were not extended to PAs/SAs.
• Due to differences in recruitment, pay scales, qualifications, and duties, the benefit of pay fixation under Para 16(2) is officially denied to re-employed ex-servicemen in PA/SA roles.
• For employees who have already received this benefit, no recovery of past payments will be made. However, their future pay must be re-fixed according to Paras 4 and 5 of the 1986 Orders after issuing a show-cause notice. Waiver of recovery for these individuals will be considered on a case-to-case basis.
• Prior to this final decision, the Department of Posts had issued a letter on April 22, 2025, advising all Circles to maintain a "status quo" on pay fixation for these roles while waiting for DoPT's final word.
• The DoPT technically left the final call to the Department of Posts, advising them to make an administrative decision based on existing instructions rather than issuing a new mandate.
• The document provides a detailed historical comparison showing that since the 3rd CPC, Postal Assistants have always had a higher pay bracket (e.g., ₹260-480) compared to LDCs (₹210-270).
• The justification for the higher pay—and thus the exclusion from Para 16(2)—is tied to the rising complexity of the role, such as the 5th CPC's requirement for computer knowledge and the current requirement of a Graduation degree.
• A key point of clarification is that "Postal Assistants" and "Sorting Assistants" were originally known as Time Scale Clerks and Time Scale Sorters until their designations were changed on September 5, 1979.
• For those whose pay was incorrectly fixed, the department cannot simply change it; they must issue a show-cause notice and dispose of any representations with a "reasoned and speaking order" before re-fixing the pay.
(DG (P) No. 02-61/2024-PAP dated 20.1.2026)
• The Department of Posts, after consulting with the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), has determined that Para 16(2) of the CCS (Fixation of Pay of Re-employed Pensioners) Orders, 1986, does not apply to ex-servicemen re-employed as Postal Assistants or Sorting Assistants.
• The DoPT reiterated that while the rules in Para 16(2) are explicit, they specifically apply to clerical and storekeeper posts; the posts of PA and SA are not mentioned in these provisions.
• The department highlighted that PAs and SAs have historically been placed in higher pay scales and have higher educational requirements (currently Graduation) compared to Lower Division Clerks (now JSAs), who require only a 10+2 qualification.
• Although certain benefits were extended to Telegraphists and Telephone Operators in 1987 due to identical pay scales at that time, those benefits were not extended to PAs/SAs.
• Due to differences in recruitment, pay scales, qualifications, and duties, the benefit of pay fixation under Para 16(2) is officially denied to re-employed ex-servicemen in PA/SA roles.
• For employees who have already received this benefit, no recovery of past payments will be made. However, their future pay must be re-fixed according to Paras 4 and 5 of the 1986 Orders after issuing a show-cause notice. Waiver of recovery for these individuals will be considered on a case-to-case basis.
• Prior to this final decision, the Department of Posts had issued a letter on April 22, 2025, advising all Circles to maintain a "status quo" on pay fixation for these roles while waiting for DoPT's final word.
• The DoPT technically left the final call to the Department of Posts, advising them to make an administrative decision based on existing instructions rather than issuing a new mandate.
• The document provides a detailed historical comparison showing that since the 3rd CPC, Postal Assistants have always had a higher pay bracket (e.g., ₹260-480) compared to LDCs (₹210-270).
• The justification for the higher pay—and thus the exclusion from Para 16(2)—is tied to the rising complexity of the role, such as the 5th CPC's requirement for computer knowledge and the current requirement of a Graduation degree.
• A key point of clarification is that "Postal Assistants" and "Sorting Assistants" were originally known as Time Scale Clerks and Time Scale Sorters until their designations were changed on September 5, 1979.
• For those whose pay was incorrectly fixed, the department cannot simply change it; they must issue a show-cause notice and dispose of any representations with a "reasoned and speaking order" before re-fixing the pay.
(DG (P) No. 02-61/2024-PAP dated 20.1.2026)
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