Salary arrears crisis rocks federal ministry of labour, employment

A new crisis is unfolding at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment as staff members who were employed in 2017 are being owed salary arrears for October, November and December 2017, as well as January and February 2018.

The affected staff members, who number 373, have been waiting for their arrears for over three years.

According to a source at the ministry, the staff members were employed in July 2017 but did not start receiving payment until March 2018. The ministry had directed them to resume in March 2018, but they had yet to receive their salary arrears.

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The affected staff members had applied for the payment of their salary arrears on different occasions, but the ministry still failed to pay them their arrears. The situation has left them feeling frustrated and disappointed.

To resolve the issue, the ministry directed its staff members who were owed salary arrears to submit hard copies of their employment letters, stamped documentation of assumption of duty and a copy of their first payslip. The affected staff members provided all the requested documents and the ministry compiled their names in a 20-page document.

Despite the directive of the Federal Ministry of Finance issued in December 2020, which directed all ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government whose staff members were owed promotion and salary arrears to forward their requests for promotion and salary arrears through the director-general of the Budget Office of the Federation for necessary action, the ministry has failed to pay the affected staff members their arrears.

The ministry has not responded to inquiries on the Salary arrears crisis at press time.