The federal government has assured public servants that the outstanding wage award will be paid before the middle of August, while promotion arrears are also being processed as part of efforts to fulfil its commitments to workers.
The assurance was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Head of Information and Public Relations Unit of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Efe Ovuakporie.
The federal government’s promise follows 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), led by its National President, Kabiru Minjibir.
Oyedele said the federal government has already begun addressing many of the issues raised by the council before receiving its formal communication, adding that the administration remains committed to resolving labour concerns through dialogue and practical action.
He stressed that the federal government would continue to honour its commitments to workers by providing realistic timelines and ensuring agreed obligations are fulfilled.
According to the minister, the necessary processes for the release of the outstanding wage award are being finalised, expressing confidence that eligible public servants will begin receiving payments before the middle of August.
He also disclosed that the processing of outstanding promotion arrears is ongoing in line with established procedures and directed relevant officials to work with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to expedite action on all pending labour-related issues.
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Oyedele acknowledged concerns raised by organised labour over delays in implementing previous agreements but assured workers that the government would continue to strengthen trust through transparency, regular engagement and prompt implementation of its commitments.
Earlier, the National President of the JPSNC, Kabiru Minjibir, appealed to the federal government to expedite action on outstanding labour issues, including the payment of the wage award, promotion arrears, salary relativity concerns affecting health workers and other pending entitlements.
He noted that the timely implementation of the outstanding commitments would strengthen industrial harmony and boost workers’ confidence in the government’s commitment to their welfare.
The Permanent Secretary, 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 unnecessary delays.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Mohammed Danjuma, disclosed that Batch 7 promotion arrears, which were inadvertently omitted during an earlier payment exercise, are now being processed alongside Batch 9, expressing optimism that beneficiaries will receive their payments once processing is completed.
He added that the federal government is also working with relevant MDAs to address 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 at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Christiana Osho, said reconciliation of the outstanding wage award had been completed and that the payment release was in its final stage.
She explained that once the release is effected, eligible public servants will begin receiving the outstanding wage award, while the processing of promotion arrears will continue according to the approved schedule.
Both the federal government and the labour delegation reaffirmed their commitment to sustained dialogue and collaboration to ensure the timely resolution of outstanding labour issues and the promotion of industrial harmony across the federal public service.
