Labour organizations under the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have officially instructed their members employed under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to immediately resume duties, following the resolution of a prolonged industrial dispute.
The announcement was made through a joint circular released on Tuesday, signed by TUC Secretary-General N.A. Toro and NLC Acting General Secretary Benson Upah.
The circular states, in part:
“All JUAC members and affiliates of the TUC and NLC working within the Ministry of the FCT (MFCT) are hereby directed to resume work immediately. All affiliates are urged to comply fully with this directive in the interest of industrial peace and good faith.”
This development follows a lengthy conciliatory meeting between the labour unions and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, reportedly facilitated by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on FCT, Senator Mohammed Bomoi.
The talks brought an end to the industrial action led by the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC), which had disrupted operations at the FCTA secretariat since January 19.
The unions confirmed that all their concerns were “fully resolved to the satisfaction of all parties,” with Minister Wike promising continued “mutual respect and regular engagement” to maintain harmony within the civil service.
Key agreements from the resolution include assurances that no worker will face retaliation for participating in the strike, immediate withdrawal of all pending cases at the National Industrial Court (NIC) related to the dispute, and a commitment to ongoing dialogue between organised labour and the FCTA.
The strike was originally prompted by several issues, including non-remittance of statutory deductions like pension and housing fund contributions, delayed payment of promotion arrears, lack of promotion exercises, and the continued employment of retired directors and permanent staff.
The resolution came shortly after the National Industrial Court issued an interim order restraining the NLC, TUC, and three other parties from initiating further strikes or protest actions.
Justice Emmanuel Sublim, ruling on an ex parte application filed by FCTA and Minister Wike, directed the first to fifth respondents and their representatives to suspend all planned industrial action pending the hearing of the motion on notice.
The court also ordered the fifth to ninth defendants, which include security agencies, to ensure the maintenance of law and order.
The application, submitted by Ogwu Onoja (SAN) on behalf of Wike and the FCTA, cited a mobilisation notice from the FCT NLC council chair for a planned protest on February 3.
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