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 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, Kabiru Minjibir.
A statement 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 workers even before receiving the council’s formal communication.
According to the statement, the necessary approvals for the payment of the outstanding wage award were being finalised, expressing confidence that eligible public servants would begin receiving the payments before the middle of August.
It added that outstanding promotion arrears were also being processed in line with established procedures.
“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.
The minister directed relevant officials to review all documents submitted by the council, liaise with the appropriate Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and fast-track action on outstanding matters requiring government intervention.
While acknowledging concerns over delays in implementing some agreements, he said 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 National President, Kabiru 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.
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 Danjuma, said Batch 7 promotion arrears, which were inadvertently omitted during an earlier payment exercise, are now being processed alongside Batch 9.
He stated that the Federal Government was 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.
RN
