The Federal Government has assured federal public servants that payment of the outstanding wage award will begin 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, Trade Side, led by its National President, Comrade Kabiru Ado Minjibir, Naijaonpoint reports.
The meeting, according to a statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance, focused on resolving pending labour issues and strengthening the relationship between the government and organised labour.
Oyedele said the government had already started addressing many of the concerns raised by the workers’ representatives even before receiving their formal communication.
He disclosed that the necessary approvals for the payment of the outstanding wage award were being concluded, expressing confidence that eligible federal workers would begin receiving the payment before the middle of August.
The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to honouring agreements reached with workers.
“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,” he said.
Oyedele also revealed that outstanding promotion arrears were receiving the required attention, adding that the remaining batches were being processed in line with laid-down procedures.
He directed relevant officials to immediately review documents submitted by the JPSNC, collaborate with affected Ministries, Departments and Agencies, and speed up action on all pending labour-related matters requiring government intervention.
The minister acknowledged the concerns raised by organised labour over delays in implementing some agreements, assuring workers that the government would continue to build trust through transparency, regular engagement and prompt action.
Earlier, the National President of the JPSNC, Comrade Kabiru Ado Minjibir, appealed to the Federal Government to speed up the resolution of pending labour issues.
He listed the outstanding wage award, promotion arrears, salary relativity concerns affecting health workers and other welfare issues among the matters requiring urgent attention.
Minjibir noted that prompt implementation of the government’s outstanding commitments would help sustain industrial peace and boost workers’ confidence in the administration’s commitment to their welfare.
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Raymond Omachi, assured labour leaders that the ministry would continue working closely with organised labour to ensure that approved workers’ entitlements were processed and released without unnecessary delays.
He added that the ministry would maintain collaboration with relevant government institutions to fast-track the resolution of outstanding labour matters, stressing that continuous dialogue remained essential for maintaining industrial harmony.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Mohammed Sanusi Danjuma, disclosed that Batch 7 promotion arrears, which were mistakenly omitted during an earlier payment exercise, were now being processed alongside Batch 9.
He expressed optimism that affected workers would begin receiving their payments once the processing was completed.
Danjuma also stated that the government was working with relevant MDAs to resolve issues relating to the Peculiar Allowance and other outstanding labour matters.
Giving an update on the payment process, the ministry’s Director of Cash Management, Christiana Osho, said reconciliation for the outstanding wage award had been completed.
According to her, the release of funds is now at its final stage.
She explained that once the funds are released, eligible federal public servants would immediately begin receiving the outstanding wage award, while payment of promotion arrears would continue according to the approved schedule.
