Workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), backed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Monday picketed the National Industrial Court in Abuja as part of a total and indefinite strike over unresolved labour disputes.
The protest followed a directive by the NLC, which declared full support for the industrial action, describing the strike as justified in the face of persistent violations of workers’ rights by the management and political leadership of the FCTA.
The aggrieved workers accused the FCTA authorities of failing to address long-standing welfare issues, including unpaid promotion arrears, poor working conditions and lack of essential working tools.
They insisted that repeated engagements with the administration had failed to yield positive results, leaving them with no option but to embark on an indefinite strike.
During the protest at the Court premises, workers displayed placards with bold inscriptions demanding the removal of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Some of the placards reads “Wike must go!!”, “Abuja no be Rivers”, “Pay promotion arrears”, “Enough is Enough” and “No working tools”.
The chants and placards reflected deep-seated anger over what the workers described as the high-handed approach of the FCTA leadership to labour matters.
The NLC said its decision to back the strike was informed by what it described as the failure of the FCTA to respect workers’ rights and honour previous agreements.
According to the labour centre, the protest would continue until the workers’ demands were addressed.
As of the time of filing this report, the FCTA authorities had yet to issue an official response to the workers’ demands.
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