The Federal Government has assured federal civil servants that payment of the outstanding N35,000 wage award arrears will begin before the middle of August, while efforts are also underway to clear outstanding promotion arrears.
The assurance comes as organised labour continues to express concerns over delays in the implementation of workers’ welfare agreements, including unpaid wage awards, promotion arrears and other salary-related benefits.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, gave the assurance during a meeting with the leadership of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (Trade Side) in Abuja.
According to a statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance, the government said the approval process for the release of funds is in its final stage.
“The necessary release for payment of the outstanding wage award is being concluded, and we are confident that eligible public servants will begin receiving the payment before the middle of the month,” the minister said.
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He noted that the administration had already started addressing some of the concerns raised by labour and reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to fulfilling agreements reached with workers.
“When government makes commitments, it delivers. Where there are outstanding issues, we will give realistic timelines and ensure they are implemented,” he added.
Edun also assured workers that outstanding promotion arrears are being processed in line with established procedures and directed officials of the ministry to work with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies to speed up the resolution of pending labour issues.
Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Raymond Omachi, said the ministry would continue to engage with organised labour and relevant government institutions to ensure approved workers’ entitlements are paid without unnecessary delays.
Also speaking, Permanent Secretary for Special Duties, Mohammed Sanusi Danjuma, disclosed that Batch 7 promotion arrears, which were left out during an earlier payment exercise, are now being processed alongside Batch 9, expressing optimism that affected workers will receive their payments once processing is completed.
