Subsidy Removal: Investigate Delay In Payment Of Wage Award – Federal Workers Tells Tinubu

The Federal Workers Forum (FWF), has called on President Bola Tinubu to investigate the delay in the disbursement of the wage award intended for civil servants employed by the Federal Government.

The President announced this wage award to alleviate the impact of the fuel subsidy removal.

In a statement released on Friday, FWF National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze, characterized the delay in paying the wage award as an act of corruption.

The statement highlighted that most workers had only received one payment in September, with three months of arrears, and called for prompt payment within the next fourteen days.

The FWF urged an investigation into the delay, labelling it as an act of corruption.

Additionally, the forum demanded the settlement of outstanding promotion arrears and pending arrears for federal university workers and proposed that salaries be paid by the 28th of every month.

The statement said, “The government had promised a palliative package through a wage award meant to mitigate against the sufferings caused by the subsidy removal.

“Unfortunately, the wage ward is not paid promptly.

“The purpose of putting up the wage award has been defeated, as most workers only got paid just once in September and are being owed three months arrears of payment, gradually getting to the fourth month now.

“It has been tales of harrowing experiences for the Federal Government workers in Nigeria.

“The workers have been suffering in silence. Federal Government workers are frustrated and sorrowful. Life has been made meaningless and hellish since the removal of subsidy on petrol. The daily rising cost of living has made everything worthless resulting in monumental hardship being visited on the workers.

“We, the Federal Government workers, are really very disappointed in the Federal Government and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for not making provisions for the survival of the federal workforce after the removal of fuel subsidy.

“The Forum thereby resolves as follows:

“That all the outstanding wage award arrears be paid within the next fourteen days. That the government should investigate the delay in the payment of wage award, which we see as an act of corruption.

“That all outstanding promotion arrears and many other pending arrears owed workers be paid. That all pending arrears owed the federal university workers be paid. That salaries be paid latest 28th of every month.”