The Federal Government has settled the outstanding 45-month minimum wage arrears owed to employees of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).
This was disclosed on Monday by Okechukwu Nwokoro, Secretary of the NiMet Union Joint Action Committee.
The arrears, which had accumulated since 2019, had been a major point of contention between NiMet management and its staff, causing frequent disputes with labor unions.
Earlier this year, the situation almost resulted in industrial action, with unions planning a strike for May 20, 2024.
However, the strike was narrowly avoided after the House Committee on Aviation Technology and its Senate counterpart intervened.
An agreement was reached on May 19, 2024, during a special session led by the Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation Technology, Abiodun Akinlade, with NiMet management and union representatives present.
The Director-General of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike, thanked President Bola Tinubu for approving the payment of the arrears.
“Mr President has demonstrated once again that he is a worker-friendly President. The issue of the unpaid 45-month wage arrears predates this administration, but still, Mr President has cleared the outstanding.
“I wish to thank the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, for the role he played. Also the Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation Technology, Abiodun Akinlade, and members of the Committee for their sacrifices and timely intervention.
“I wish to also thank the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, and the members of the committee. I thank all the others who played different roles in the process.
“We expect that staff and the unions will show Mr President appreciation by working hard and staying focused to ensure that NiMet continues to achieve its mandate,” Anosike said.
The NiMet staff, through the NiMet Unions Joint Action Committee, also extended their appreciation to President Tinubu, Keyamo, and other government officials for facilitating the payment.
The unions expressed gratitude for the collective efforts that ensured the settlement of the outstanding minimum wage arrears owed to NiMet staff from 2019 to 2022.
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