A fresh face-off between the Federal Government and organized labour is imminent, following a friday ultimatum issued by the organised Labour.
Workers have given the government until this Friday, February 27, 2026, to release funds for outstanding wage awards and allowances, or face industrial action.
The threat was contained in a formal communication from the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (Trade Union Side) to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment. The leadership warned that failure to comply with the deadline would leave its eight affiliate unions across various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) with no choice but to mobilize for “decisive action.”
The dispute is about the non-payment of three months’ worth of wage awards, a financial intervention initially approved by the President to mitigate the economic impact of fuel subsidy removal. The unions claim that while partial payments were previously made following sustained pressure, the government has defaulted on the outstanding balances owed since July 2024.
In a separate, strongly worded letter addressed to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the labour leaders expressed frustration over the prolonged delay, which they say is breeding resentment among federal workers.
“This wage award has dragged on for over two years now since the implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage payment was approved,” the letter read in part.
The unions clarified the origin of the dispute, noting that the wage award was a temporary relief measure. “The wage award was approved as a cushioning measure following fuel subsidy removal and was to run until the commencement of the new minimum wage implementation in July 2024,” they stated.
Accusing the government of withholding funds, the workers alleged that the relevant accounting departments are prepared to disburse the payments, but are being blocked by the Ministry of Finance’s failure to authorize the release of the necessary funds.
