The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has described the Federal Government’s plans to clear the five months arrears of the N35,000 wage award to civil servants as a reflection of an excellent government-labour relations.
In a statement signed by its Chairman Emeka Nwankpa and Secretary Dapo Okubanjo, TMSG said the disbursement which would begin in May was a fulfillment of its promise to organized labour during negotiations for a new national minimum wage.
It said: “As part of efforts to cushion the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy, the Federal Government in 2023 made an offer to pay what was then referred to as wage award to treasury-paid government workers for six months during negotiations for a new minimum wage.
“We are aware that at the time, a number of states also keyed in to stay in line with national wage standards, but it is not certain that all the states honoured the agreement in spite of substantial increase in federation allocations to them.
“It is true that after making the wage award offer, the President Bola Tinubu administration paid five months wage to government employees in instalments with a promise to pay the outstanding.
“It is against this backdrop that we welcome the announcement by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) of plans to disburse the outstanding wage award of N35,000 per month in five instalments.
“This means that rather than the initial promise of six months, the federal government is extending it to ten months to cover the length of the wage negotiation period.
“We believe that this gesture would go a long way to helping federal government employees to ease the burden of the cost of living crisis.”
It also urged state governments to take a cue from the federal government and clear outstanding arrears of wage award to their workers especially now that they have enhanced federal allocations.
The group added that by toeing Federal Government’s good gesture, it would go a long way to enhance excellent industrial relations in the country towards boosting even industrial peace, productivity and general growth and development.
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