There is growing tension between organized labor and the Federal Government as a result of the government’s inability to pay the N35,000 wage award to workers consistently.
In interviews conducted on Monday, workers in the Federal Civil Service expressed concerns, highlighting that the Federal Government only fulfilled the N35,000 wage award for September.
This development stems from President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove the fuel subsidy upon assuming office. To alleviate the resulting hardship, the Federal Government had committed to paying N35,000 to each worker.
The government, in a memo signed by the Chairman, the National Salaries Wages and Income Commission, Ekpo Nta, stated that the payment of the wage award would begin to take effect from September 1, 2023.
However, findings by our correspondent indicated that the government only paid the wage award for September.
A senior civil servant in one of the core ministries, departments and agencies said, “The wage award was only paid once and I assume that was the one for September. Since then, we have not received another. We all are confused as there has been no official communication from the government as regards the matter. We are all confused at the moment.”
Another civil servant, who spoke to our correspondent on anonymity, said, “What you heard is true. We have not received anything else other than the initial wage award which was paid. The government cannot continue to let the citizens suffer. Our takehome salaries cannot even take us home any longer at this point.”
Also speaking with our correspondent, a civil servant in one of the Federal Government-owned schools in Abuja noted that the workers were only paid the wage award for one month.
“We only received for one month which I assume was for September. Though the peculiar allowance introduced by the former administration is still being paid alongside our salaries, we have not received any.”
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