- The government has reported a reduction of N100bn in wage award allocation in the 2023 supplementary budget.
- The Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress have condemned the government’s actions as dishonourable and urged for wage payments for civil servants or risk of industrial action
The Federal Government of Nigeria has started paying out the November 2023 salary awards, which is a huge step forward and a relief to a lot of federal civil servants nationwide.
This action is a component of the agreement that organized labor and the government struck to mitigate the effects of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) Petrol, being subject to the elimination of subsidies.
Several federal civil servants separately spoke with Punch on Tuesday and verified the decision to resume wage awards payments.
This development follows a period of suspension that drew criticism from activists and stakeholders, highlighting the government’s commitment to honouring its agreement with the workforce.
Amidst concerns over the government’s fiscal adjustments, including a N100 billion reduction in the wage award allocation in the 2023 supplementary budget, both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) expressed their dissatisfaction.
The unions described the government’s earlier suspension of payments as dishonourable and called for the resumption of wage awards, hinting at possible industrial action if their demands were unmet.
A senior civil servant, preferring to remain anonymous, informed PUNCH Online, “Payment came in this morning, others have also confirmed receipt in my agency.”
Similarly, another senior official from a Federal Government-owned school outside Abuja also verified receiving the November 2023 wage award.