The Federal Government has assured public servants that the outstanding wage award will be paid before the middle of August, while processing of outstanding promotion arrears is also being accelerated.
The assurance was given by the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, 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.
According to the Minister, the Federal 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 resolving legitimate labour concerns through constructive engagement.
He stated that government remains committed to fulfilling its promises to workers, noting that the necessary release for payment of the outstanding wage award is being concluded. He expressed confidence that eligible public servants would begin receiving their payments before the middle of August.
The Minister also disclosed that outstanding promotion arrears are receiving the required attention, with the remaining batches being processed in line with established procedures. He directed relevant officials to immediately review the documents submitted by the Council and work with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to fast-track action on all pending labour-related issues.
Speaking earlier, JPSNC National President, Comrade Kabiru Ado Minjibir, commended the Minister for receiving the delegation and appealed for the speedy resolution of outstanding labour matters, including wage awards, promotion arrears, salary relativity concerns affecting health workers and other welfare issues . He noted that prompt implementation of the outstanding commitments would strengthen industrial harmony and boost workers’ confidence in government.
Also speaking, 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 unnecessary delays. He stressed that sustained dialogue remains the most effective means of maintaining industrials harmony.
The Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Mohammed Sanusi Danjuma, revealed that Batch 7 promotion arrears, which was inadvertently omitted during the previous payment exercise, is now being processed alongside Batch 9. He added that the Federal Government is also working to address the issue of the Peculiar Allowance and other outstanding labour-related matters.
Providing an update on the payment process, Director of Cash Management, Christiana Osho, disclosed that reconciliation for the outstanding wage award has been completed and that the payment release is at its final stage. She explained that once the release is effected, eligible public servants will begin receiving the outstanding wage award, while processing of promotion arrears will continue according to the approved schedule.
At the end of the meeting, both the Federal Government and the JPSNC reaffirmed their commitment to sustained dialogue and collaboration aimed at ensuring the timely resolution of outstanding labour issues and promoting industrial harmony across the Federal Public Service.