FG Assures Workers Outstanding Wage Award Will Be Paid Before Mid-August
By Sabiu Abdullahi
The Federal Government has assured its workforce that payment of the outstanding wage award will commence before the middle of August. It also said efforts are underway to clear promotion arrears owed to eligible public servants.
The assurance came during a meeting between the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, and the leadership of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC), Trade Side, led by its National President, Kabiru Minjibir.
A statement issued by the Head of Information and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Efe Ovuakporie, said the minister informed the union that the government had already started addressing several of the issues raised before receiving the council’s formal communication.
Oyedele reaffirmed the Tinubu administration’s commitment to resolving labour matters through dialogue and practical action.
“When government makes commitments, it delivers. We are not in the habit of making promises that cannot be fulfilled. Where there are outstanding issues, we will give realistic timelines and ensure they are implemented,” the minister said.
He explained that the necessary approvals for payment of the outstanding wage award were at the final stage. He expressed confidence that qualified public servants would begin to receive the payments before the middle of August.
The minister also said work was progressing on the payment of outstanding promotion arrears. He noted that pending batches were receiving attention in line with established procedures.
Oyedele directed relevant officials to examine documents submitted by the council, work with the appropriate Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and speed up action on unresolved issues that require government intervention.
He acknowledged concerns over delays in implementing some agreements but assured labour leaders that the government would continue to promote transparency, regular consultations and prompt responses.
“Our objective is to build a system where issues are resolved proactively. We want workers to have confidence that once government gives its word, it will honour that commitment,” he added.
Earlier, JPSNC President Kabiru Minjibir praised the minister for engaging with the union leadership. He urged the Federal Government to fast-track the resolution of outstanding labour issues, including the wage award, promotion arrears, salary relativity concerns affecting health workers and other matters involving public servants.
He said prompt implementation of the government’s commitments would strengthen industrial harmony and improve workers’ confidence in the administration.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Raymond Omachi, said the ministry would continue to work closely with organised labour to ensure approved workers’ benefits are processed and released without unnecessary delays.
Permanent Secretary for Special Duties, Mohammed Danjuma, disclosed that Batch 7 promotion arrears, which were omitted during an earlier payment exercise, are now being processed alongside Batch 9.
He added that the government is also engaging relevant MDAs to address issues relating to the Peculiar Allowance and other outstanding labour matters.
Providing an update on the payment process, Director of the Cash Management Department, Christiana Osho, said reconciliation of the outstanding wage award had been completed and that the release of funds was at the final stage.
She explained that eligible public servants would begin receiving the wage award once the funds are released, while payment of promotion arrears would continue according to the approved schedule.
The Federal Government and the JPSNC reaffirmed their commitment to continued dialogue and cooperation to ensure outstanding labour issues are resolved promptly and industrial harmony is sustained across the federal public service.