The Federal Government has assured federal public servants that payment of the outstanding wage award will commence before the middle of August, while efforts are also being intensified to clear outstanding promotion arrears.
The assurance was given on Wednesday by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, during a meeting with the leadership of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC), Trade Side, led by its National President, Comrade Kabiru Ado Minjibir.
According to a statement from the Federal Ministry of Finance, the meeting focused on resolving pending labour issues and strengthening collaboration between the government and organised labour.
Oyedele disclosed that the government had already begun addressing many of the concerns raised by workers, even before receiving formal communication from the union.
He said approvals for the payment of the outstanding wage award were at the final stage, expressing confidence that eligible federal workers would begin receiving the payments before mid-August.
“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.
Oyedele also revealed that outstanding promotion arrears were receiving urgent attention, noting that the remaining batches were being processed in line with established procedures.
He directed relevant government officials to immediately review documents submitted by the JPSNC, work closely with affected Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and fast-track the resolution of all pending labour-related matters.
The minister acknowledged workers’ concerns over delays in implementing previous agreements, assuring them that the government would continue to build trust through transparency, regular engagement and timely action.
Earlier, JPSNC National President Comrade Kabiru Ado Minjibir urged the Federal Government to expedite the resolution of outstanding labour issues, including unpaid wage awards, promotion arrears, salary relativity concerns affecting health workers and other welfare matters.
He said prompt implementation of the government’s commitments would help sustain industrial harmony and strengthen workers’ confidence in the administration.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Raymond Omachi, assured labour leaders that the ministry would continue collaborating with organised labour and relevant institutions to ensure approved workers’ entitlements are processed and released without unnecessary delays.
Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Mohammed Sanusi Danjuma, disclosed that Batch 7 promotion arrears, which were mistakenly omitted during an earlier payment exercise, are now being processed alongside Batch 9.
He expressed optimism that affected workers would begin receiving their payments once processing is completed.
Providing an update on the payment process, the ministry’s Director of Cash Management, Christiana Osho, said reconciliation of the outstanding wage award had been completed.
According to her, the release of funds is now at its final stage, adding that once the funds are released, eligible federal public servants will immediately begin receiving the outstanding wage award, while payment of promotion arrears will continue according to the approved schedule…..See more