The Federal Government says it will pay outstanding wage awards before mid-August and has begun efforts to clear promotion arrears owed to workers. The Minister of Finance said many of the concerns raised by labour had already been addressed even before the government received the unions’ formal communication.
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Taiwo Oyedele
The Federal Government has assured public servants that the outstanding wage award will be paid before the middle of August, while promotion arrears are being processed as part of ongoing efforts to fulfil its commitments to workers.
The assurance was given 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, Comrade Kabiru Ado Minjibir.
A statement issued on Wednesday by the Head of Information and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Efe Ovuakporie, said the minister noted that the government had already begun addressing many of the issues raised by the council even before receiving its formal communication.
According to the statement, the minister reiterated the administration’s commitment to resolving legitimate labour concerns through constructive engagement.
“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 disclosed that the necessary approvals for the payment of the outstanding wage award were being finalised and expressed confidence that eligible public servants would begin receiving the payments before the middle of August.
The minister also assured the delegation that outstanding promotion arrears were receiving the required attention, with pending batches being processed in line with established procedures.
He directed relevant officials to review all documents submitted by the council, liaise with the appropriate Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and expedite action on outstanding matters requiring government intervention.
While acknowledging labour’s concerns over delays in implementing some agreements, the minister assured the delegation that the Federal Government would continue to strengthen trust through transparency, regular consultations and prompt action.
“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 Ado Minjibir commended the minister for meeting with the delegation and appealed for the speedy resolution of outstanding labour issues, including the wage award, promotion arrears, salary relativity concerns affecting health workers and other matters impacting public servants.
He said timely implementation of the government’s commitments would strengthen industrial harmony and boost workers’ confidence in the administration.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Raymond Omachi, reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to working closely with organised labour to ensure approved workers’ entitlements are processed and released without avoidable delays.
The Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Mohammed Sanusi Danjuma, disclosed that Batch 7 promotion arrears, which was inadvertently omitted during an earlier payment exercise, is now being processed alongside Batch 9.
He added that the Federal Government is also working with relevant MDAs to resolve issues relating to the Peculiar Allowance and other outstanding labour matters.
Providing an update on the payment process, the 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 said eligible public servants would begin receiving the outstanding wage award once the funds are released, while the processing of promotion arrears would continue according to the approved schedule.
Both the Federal Government and the JPSNC reaffirmed their commitment to sustained dialogue and collaboration to ensure the timely resolution of outstanding labour issues and maintain industrial harmony across the federal public service.
