Himachal Pradesh Halts Controversial Pay Revision Amid Employee Protests

The Himachal Pradesh government has rapidly backtracked on a contentious pay revision notification, pausing implementation just two days after its issuance due to rising employee dissatisfaction. The controversy erupted when government employees argued the new pay rules would lead to substantial salary reductions.

The Finance Department's original notification, released on September 6, 2025, aimed to amend the existing pay rules with retrospective implications. This led to outcry, as the changes were projected to drastically cut wages by up to Rs 15,000 monthly for affected employees, as per Federation of Secretarial Employees Union President Sanjeev Sharma.

In response to the mounting unrest, a new notification issued on September 8, 2025, stated the recent pay revision rules were put on hold on administrative directions, staving off immediate implementation. Demonstrating the government's responsiveness, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu intervened after meeting employee federations who expressed the amendments' financial impacts. The paused regulation reflects ongoing efforts to address and mitigate employee concerns.

(With inputs from agencies.)