The President of the Trade Union Congress, Quadri Olaleye, has said that the organised labour is still open to dialogue even as it has given the Federal Government a two-week ultimatum to conclude negotiations on consequential adjustment of salaries of workers between grades 7 and 14.
He declared this on a Yoruba programme on a private radio station in Lagos..
Olaleye, however, said even if the government invited the labour to any other meeting in order to avert strike, the labour would not bulge on its demand on the national minimum wage.
He said, “We are open to dialogue. If the government wants to hold another meeting with us, we are available. The only thing I would say is that we will have nothing short of the consequential adjustment of salaries of workers between grades 7 and 14.
“I don’t see any reason for another presidential committee after the first one.”
Labour leaders have given the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government an ultimatum to conclude negotiations on consequential adjustment of salaries of workers between grades 7 and 14.
They also rejected the presidential committee set up to further deliberate on the issue.
This was the outcome of a meeting that had in attendance leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the TUC in Abuja on Wednesday.
The unions said the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council must complete its assignment within one week.
A joint statement after the meeting insisted on the “29 per cent and not 11 per cent increment to the salaries of workers on grades 7 to 14 and the 6.5 per cent for those between 15 and 17 will subsist.”
“We may not guarantee industrial peace and harmony in the country if our demands are not met at the close of work on Wednesday, 16 October,” it added.
