The Federal Government says federal public servants will begin receiving their outstanding wage award before the middle of August, while payment of promotion arrears is also being processed as part of efforts to fulfil outstanding commitments to workers.
The assurance was given during a meeting between the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, and leaders of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC), Trade Side, led by its National President, Kabiru Minjibir.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Ministry of Finance’s Head of Information and Public Relations, Efe Ovuakporie, the minister said the government had already started addressing many of the issues raised by organised labour before receiving its formal communication.
Mr Oyedele insisted that the administration remained committed to resolving labour concerns through dialogue and realistic implementation timelines.
“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 disclosed that approvals for the outstanding wage award were being finalised, expressing confidence that eligible workers would receive payment before mid-August.
He also said outstanding promotion arrears were receiving attention, with pending batches being processed in line with established procedures.
Mr Oyedele directed relevant officials to review documents submitted by the council, engage affected Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and fast-track unresolved issues requiring government action.
Acknowledging concerns over delays in implementing previous agreements, he said the government would continue to build 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 President Kabiru Minjibir urged the government to speed up the settlement of outstanding labour issues, including the wage award, promotion arrears, salary relativity concerns affecting health workers and other unresolved entitlements.
He said prompt implementation of the government’s commitments would strengthen industrial harmony and boost workers’ confidence.
Permanent Secretary of the 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.
Also speaking, Permanent Secretary (Special Duties), Mohammed Danjuma, said Batch 7 promotion arrears, omitted during an earlier payment exercise, were now being processed alongside Batch 9.
He added that the government was also engaging relevant MDAs to resolve issues relating to the Peculiar Allowance and other outstanding labour matters.
Director of Cash Management, Christiana Osho, said reconciliation of the outstanding wage award had been completed and the release of funds was at its final stage.
She said eligible public servants would begin receiving the payments once funds were released, while promotion arrears would continue to be processed according to the approved schedule.
Both the Federal Government and the JPSNC reaffirmed their commitment to sustained dialogue aimed at resolving outstanding labour issues and maintaining industrial harmony across the federal public service.
