Members of the Public Services Workers’ Union (PSWU) at the National Identification Authority (NIA) have today, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, embarked on a nationwide strike.
This, according to the workers, is due to protracted delays and broken assurances from the Ministry of Finance regarding the payment of their Operational Support Allowance.
Despite prior agreements, the allowances has not been paid since January 2025, according to the PSWU.
In a statement issued Tuesday, June 24, 2025, it said the Ministry of Finance failed to settle on a timeline for the payment of the allowances after a June 23, 2025 meeting, necessitating the call for their strike.
Negotiated in July 2024 and implemented from August through to December of that year, the Operational Support Allowance was the product of extensive talks between the PSWU and representatives from the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and the Ministry of Finance.
The Union leaders say they have had to exercise patience over the cease in payment following repeated assurances from management of the NIA to pay.
“This difficult but necessary decision has become inevitable,” a statement issued by the PSWU–NIA Divisional Executive Council said. “Repeated follow-ups, constructive engagement, and our demonstrated willingness to cooperate in good faith have regrettably not been met with the urgency and seriousness this issue demands.”
The union added that various stakeholders had played their part in ensuring that the matter is resolved, except the Finance Ministry which is not making any clear efforts, putting their staff across the divide on financial and emotional strain.
“This industrial action is not taken lightly. It reflects the deep frustration of staff who have endured this situation for far too long amidst persistent neglect,” the statement added.
All PSWU members at the NIA have been directed to withdraw their services effective immediately, with the union calling on its members to remain peaceful and law-abiding throughout the period of industrial action.
The union further stated its readiness to return to the negotiating table, provided discussions result in “prompt and full payment” of the owed allowance.
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