The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has described the industrial action declared by the FCT chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) as politically motivated, insisting that the issues raised by the organised labour had already been agreed upon and were being addressed.
The minister also claimed that the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) had distanced themselves from the strike.
Wike warned that the “no work, no pay” policy would be enforced against workers who participate in the industrial action, while insisting that the administration had no outstanding issues with the area councils.
“If you want to expose yourself, you are free to. But excuse yourself if you are not part of the union, so you don’t participate,” the minister said.
He added that the administration would implement the no-work, no-pay policy, arguing that the government had addressed the demands presented by labour.
“We have no issues with them at all, and they cannot tell the public that issues we have raised have not been addressed. Everything we have, we implement,” he said.
The minister questioned the rationale behind the strike, maintaining that the administration could not understand why workers would embark on industrial action despite what he described as efforts to resolve their grievances.
Wike further alleged that the FCT NLC chairman was pursuing a political agenda linked to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The allegation places the dispute beyond the immediate labour demands.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) declared an indefinite strike on Wednesday directing workers in both the public and private sectors to shut down schools, hospitals, government offices and other establishments across the territory.
The declaration came after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the FCT Administration (FCTA) over unresolved issues concerning teachers’ promotions.
The labour council accused the FCTA of failing to adequately address its demands, particularly the call to abolish the requirement for vacant positions before teachers can be promoted.