The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has said the circular issued by the chairman of Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (SIWC), Chief Richard Egbule is not acceptable to workers because it contradicts the reason for setting up the committee.
A statement jointly signed by the president and general secretary of the TUC, Comrades Quadri Olaleye and Musa-Lawal Ozigi said labour is unaware of the move by government to discourage the trade unions.
The statement further warned that labour should not be blamed for any action taken over non implementation of minimum wage.
‘Let it be known that this circular is unacceptable to us because it contradicts the raison d’être for setting the committee. We consider this as a smart move on the part of government to discourage labour action. TUC is not fooled.
“The Congress views this latest move as a betrayal of the trust reposed on the federal government. We wonder why anything that has labour undertone becomes the issue of rejection by government.
By this circular, the government is testing the patience of the workers and we assure them that they either go to the negotiating table to complete the assignment or risk the wrath of the workers.
“It would be recalled that recently, the newly inaugurated green and red chambers of the National Assembly were showered with billions of naira at a time government is playing games with the minimum wage.
“The organised labour should not be blamed for any consequential action arising from non implementation of the minimum wage.”
