Group Lauds Nigerian Govt For Keeping Faith With Wage Award Deal With Labour, Tasks States

The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has described the Federal Government’s plans to clear the five-month arrears of the N35,000 wage award to civil servants as evidence of good government-labor relations.

In a statement signed by Chairman Emeka Nwankpa and Secretary Dapo Okubanjo, TMSG stated that the disbursement, which will begin in May, is in fulfilment of its promise to organised labour during negotiations for a new national minimum wage.

It stated: “As part of efforts to mitigate the effects of the removal of fuel subsidies, the Federal Government made an offer in 2023 to pay what was then referred to as wage awards to treasury-paid government workers for six months during negotiations for a new minimum wage.

“We are aware that a number of states keyed in at the time to stay in line with national wage standards, but it is unclear whether all of the states honoured the agreement despite significant increases in federation allocations to them.

“It is true that after making the wage award offer, the President Bola Tinubu administration paid five months’ wages to government employees in instalments, promising to pay the balance.

“Against this backdrop, we welcome the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF)’s announcement of plans to pay the outstanding wage award of N35,000 per month in five instalments.

“This means that, instead of the initial promise of six months, the federal government is extending it to ten months to account for the duration of the wage negotiation period.

“We believe that this gesture will help federal government employees cope with the cost of living crisis.”

It also urged state governments to follow the federal government’s lead and clear outstanding wage award arrears owed to their employees, particularly now that federal allocations have increased.

The group added that supporting the Federal Government’s good gesture would go a long way towards improving excellent industrial relations in the country, thereby boosting industrial peace, productivity, and overall growth and development.