Federal Workers To Protest July 1 Despite Wage Promises
The Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has declared that its planned nationwide protest set for Monday, July 1, will go ahead as scheduled, insisting the government has failed to meet critical demands concerning worker welfare and remuneration.
Following an online general meeting held on Saturday, June 28, the FWF said it had received some assurances from the government regarding payment of delayed wage awards.
However, it stressed that these promises were insufficient to halt the mobilisation of federal workers across the country.
The Forum’s National Secretary revealed that the group’s National Coordinator contacted the Director of Finance, who confirmed that the next tranche of the long-overdue wage award—initially expected in May—would be paid after June salaries, with the skipped instalment to follow the week after.
Still, the Forum maintained that its demands remain unmet and that only immediate and full implementation of its proposals would prevent the protest.
“The demands by FWF still stands. July 1st Protest is sacrosanct. Demanding full implementation of consequential adjustment sacrosanct.”
In a communique expected to be released soon, the FWF will reiterate its demands, which include: full implementation, non-taxation, and consequential adjustment of the new national minimum wage; 30% of consolidated salary as Cost of Living Allowance (COLA); and the payment of all promotion arrears owed federal workers across MDAs from 2021 to date.
Others include full payment of peculiar allowances and salary reviews (25–35%) owed to various sectors, including health and FTI; ending the persistent delays in salary payments to staff of tertiary institutions; and the settlement of all outstanding wage awards promised by the federal government.
“Federal workers deserve a living wage as promised, not a slave wage.”
Reaffirming its commitment to peaceful democratic engagement, the Forum urged all federal workers to mobilise nationwide and warned that continued delays, broken promises and inconsistent policies would no longer be tolerated.
A full communique outlining its resolutions is expected soon.
Sodiq Yusuf is a trained media practitioner and journalist with considerable years of experience in print, broadcast, and digital journalism. His interests cover a wide range of causes in politics, governance, sports, community development, and good governance.
