The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have urged workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to defend their rights with courage and dignity amid an ongoing dispute with the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the two labour centres expressed solidarity with the workers, whom they said had been “shabbily treated” by the FCT minister. They criticized what they described as intimidation, humiliation and harassment of workers, particularly following a recent ruling by the National Industrial Court in Abuja.
According to the statement, organized labour said the court ruling already placed an added burden on the workers, arguing that the minister’s alleged threats and hostile conduct had further worsened the situation.
“Today, we find it necessary to issue a joint statement of support in solidarity with the workers of the Federal Capital Territory who have been shabbily treated by the Minister of FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike, and rubber-stamped by an Abuja National Industrial Court in a one-sided ruling intended to break up the strike,” the statement read.
The NLC and TUC said they had expected the minister to use the court decision as an opportunity to engage organized labour in dialogue but accused him of instead resorting to threats against the workers.
The labour centres maintained that workers could not be treated as “slaves in their own country” and stressed their commitment to the rule of law. They added that the strike would continue until the minister agreed to negotiate with the workers.
They also clarified that the interlocutory injunction obtained by the minister was directed at two individual union leaders and not against the striking unions, insisting that this meant the industrial action remained valid.
FCTA workers embarked on an indefinite strike last week over what they described as the authorities’ failure to address long-standing labour and welfare demands. The action has led to the shutdown of activities across several major government offices in Abuja.
In response, the FCT minister instituted legal action against the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC) over the strike.
On Tuesday, the National Industrial Court ordered the workers to suspend the industrial action. In his ruling, the presiding judge, Emmanuel Subilim, held that while the matter constituted a trade dispute, the right of workers to embark on a strike was not absolute.
The judge ruled that once a dispute is referred to the National Industrial Court, any ongoing strike must be suspended pending the determination of the case.
