According to reports, the Federal Government plans to commence payment of a 40 per cent salary increase for civil servants by the end of April.
It is said that President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to give final approval for the disbursement of the payment, which will occur two months ahead of the proposed June date for the removal of petrol subsidy.
Olajide Oshundun, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, informed ThePunch that the payment may begin by the end of April.
The salary increase, known as consequential allowance, is thought to have been proposed to alleviate the impact of the petrol subsidy removal in June, which President Buhari announced last year.
However, Oshundun indicated that she is uncertain if the president has given his authorization for the pay raise proposal.
She said, “Consequential allowance Salaries will be increased by 40 per cent for civil servants from level 1 to level 17.
“What we receive now is called consolidated public service salary structure, it is the combination of basic and all allowances. So, the increase will be 40 per cent of what a public servant is earning now.
“They will start paying from the end of this month (April) and the arrears of January, February and March will be paid later. The salary increase is effective from January 2023. That is the proposal submitted by the committee set up to look into salary adjustment for civil servants, but am not sure if the President has signed it yet.”
It would be recalled that in March, Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment, made it known that the Federal Government had approved a pay raise for civil servants.
The National Vice President of the Trade Union Congress, Tommy Etim in an interview with ThePunch confirmed the move by the government.
Etim said the government plans to increase “allowances and not salaries”.
He said, “I am aware of the moves by the government and the payment is to start from January. The new payment is not an increase in workers’ salaries. It is a peculiar allowance and not an increase in salary, so we don’t misinform the public.
“It is just an increase in basic salary and not across board. Other components are not touched so that the market woman will not think the government has increased salary. It is an allowance because of the peculiar circumstances surrounding the removal of fuel subsidy and inflation. An allowance is not a salary. No civil servant has received so I cannot speak authoritatively until it hits everyone’s bank account.”
He, therefore, urged the government to consider increment of other allowances such as rent and transportation.
