By Ayomide Otitoju
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has warned that any worker of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) who fails to resume work from Wednesday, January 28, will face disciplinary action.
Wike issued the warning on Tuesday while briefing journalists in Abuja, shortly after the National Industrial Court ordered striking FCTA workers to suspend their ongoing industrial action.
“From tomorrow, if you don’t come to work, we are going to apply the big stick. And from tomorrow, if we see anybody who wants to block the gate, we will make you a scapegoat. The law must take its place,” the minister said.
He disclosed that the FCTA administration had engaged with labour unions and that most of their grievances had been addressed. According to him, government efforts at dialogue, including interventions by security agencies and FCT management, had failed to yield results.
“If the workers made 14 demands and the government has addressed 10 of them, what then is the issue?” Wike asked, suggesting that factors beyond the stated demands were driving the strike.
FCTA workers began an indefinite strike last week over what they described as the government’s failure to address long-standing labour and welfare concerns, leading to a shutdown of activities across Abuja.
In response, the FCT administration instituted legal action against the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC). On Tuesday, the National Industrial Court in Abuja ordered the workers to suspend the strike.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Emmanuel Subilim held that while the dispute qualified as a trade dispute, the right to embark on industrial action was not absolute. He ruled that once a dispute has been referred to the National Industrial Court, any ongoing strike must cease pending the determination of the case.
