By Sandra Kenneth
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the FCT Wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) have formally rejected the threat by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to enforce a “no-work, no-pay” policy against striking workers.
In separate circulars issued to members on Sunday and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Monday, the unions labeled the minister’s directive as “unconstitutional, illegal, provocative, and unenforceable.”
The confrontation stems from an indefinite strike action declared by the NLC on October 7 over unresolved industrial disputes between the FCT Administration (FCTA) and the NUT. In response, Minister Wike directed Area Council chairmen, the FCT Head of Civil Service, school principals, and headteachers to enforce the salary stoppage policy and open daily attendance registers to monitor absent staff.
Reaction to the directive was swift. Mr. Knabayi Adalo, Chairman of the NLC FCT Council, urged affected civil servants and teachers to remain steadfast and ignore threats of pay cuts or attendance tracking, reassuring members that strike action remains a legal instrument under Nigerian law and international labour conventions.
“Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, the Trade Unions Act, and ILO Conventions 87, 98, and 151, all ratified by Nigeria, guarantee workers’ right to embark on strike after due process. The NLC FCT has fulfilled all legal conditions,” Adalo stated.
Adalo further argued that Section 43 of the Trade Disputes Act regarding the withholding of pay applies only to unlawful strikes. He asserted that the FCTA provoked the strike through unfair practices, including:
Imposition of a restrictive vacancy clause on teacher promotions.
Demotion of directors entitled to benefits under the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022.
Failure to conduct the 2025 promotion exercise.
Addressing reports of school administrators coercing teachers to sign attendance rosters, Adalo directed union members to refuse. He cautioned principals and headteachers that attendance registers opened during a strike lack legal standing, warning that administrators who submit names for punitive measures would face personal liability and union picketing.
Echoing the NLC’s position, Mrs. Margaret Jethro, Secretary of the NUT FCT Wing, urged teachers not to return to work out of fear.
“We must remain resolute. Do not chicken out; we must fight this battle together and now,” Jethro said. “We urge you not to panic, not to be intimidated, and not to sign any attendance register. Our demands are genuine and not political—we are asking for our welfare, not for power.”
Jethro also addressed the decision of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) to pull out of the industrial action, characterizing their withdrawal as a betrayal, while commending teachers who have continued to comply with the strike action peacefully at home.
The unions have demanded the immediate removal of the vacancy clause, the reinstatement of demoted directors, and the commencement of the 2025 promotion exercise, assuring workers that no member will face victimization.
