FG to pay outstanding wage award before mid-August — Finance Minister
By Ahmed Isah
The Federal Government has assured public servants that the outstanding wage award will be paid before the middle of August, while outstanding promotion arrears are being processed.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, gave the assurance on Wednesday 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.
Oyedele said the government had already commenced work on many of the issues raised by the council even before receiving its formal communication, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to addressing workers’ concerns through dialogue.
“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.
The minister said the necessary processes for the release of funds for the outstanding wage award were being concluded, expressing confidence that eligible public servants would begin receiving payment before the middle of August.
He added that promotion arrears were also receiving the required attention, with the outstanding batches being processed in line with established procedures.
Oyedele directed relevant officials to review all documents submitted by the council, liaise with the appropriate Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and expedite action on all outstanding labour-related matters.
He acknowledged concerns by organised labour over delays in implementing some agreements but assured workers that the 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 said.
Earlier, Minjibir commended the minister for receiving the delegation and appealed for the speedy resolution of pending labour issues.
He identified the outstanding wage award, promotion arrears, salary relativity concerns affecting health workers and other welfare-related matters as issues requiring urgent attention.
According to him, timely implementation of the outstanding commitments will further strengthen industrial harmony and boost workers’ confidence in government’s commitment to their welfare.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Raymond Omachi, reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to working closely with organised labour to ensure approved workers’ entitlements were processed and released without avoidable delays.
Omachi said the ministry would continue to engage relevant government institutions to fast-track the resolution of outstanding labour issues through constructive dialogue.
The Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Mr Mohammed Danjuma, disclosed that Batch 7 promotion arrears, which was inadvertently omitted during an earlier payment exercise, was now being processed alongside Batch 9.
He expressed confidence that beneficiaries would begin receiving their payments once processing was completed.
Danjuma also said the government was working to address issues relating to the Peculiar Allowance and other outstanding labour matters in collaboration with relevant MDAs.
The Director of Cash Management, Mrs Christiana Osho, said reconciliation for the outstanding wage award had been completed and that the payment release was at its final stage.
She said eligible public servants would begin receiving the outstanding wage award immediately after the release, while processing of promotion arrears would continue in line with the approved schedule.
Both parties 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.
