FCT Strike Splits Labour as TUC Opts Out and NULGE Joins In

The indefinite strike declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, has opened a sharp divide within organised labour in the territory, with unions taking opposing positions on the action.

 

The NLC directed workers in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), including those in the private sector, to begin the indefinite strike on Wednesday over unresolved disputes between the FCTA and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).

 

While the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has told its members to disregard the strike and report for work, the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has thrown its full weight behind the action.

 

In a notice signed on Friday by its FCT Secretary, Mr Sunday Joseph, the TUC rejected the directive and distanced itself from the strike, saying it was never consulted.

 

The congress said the NLC declared the strike unilaterally, without joint discussions among the unions.

 

"The directive was issued without any consultation with the TUC FCT Council or any of its affiliates in the FCT. We didn't take part in the meeting that produced it.

 

"Accordingly, the TUC FCT Council is not a party to the said industrial action," it said.

 

The TUC called for a more proactive and strategic approach, particularly on matters affecting workers' welfare and children's education, and directed all its members to report for duty.

 

"All affiliated unions and workers are urged to carry out their normal duties without fear. Members should ignore non-sanctioned orders, including unauthorised enforcement committees.

 

"Any harassment or intimidation should be reported to the TUC Secretariat immediately," the congress said.

 

It restated its commitment to the welfare of teachers and workers, but warned against measures that disrupt children's learning and their access to a bright future.

 

The Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools had also distanced itself from the strike on Wednesday.

 

In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, the union's FCT Chairman, Mr Julius Ogundiran, directed secondary school teachers and education officers to report for their normal academic duties.

 

The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) took the opposite position and directed its members to down tools.

 

In a notice of solidarity with FCT teachers, issued by the NULGE FCT Council and signed by its State Secretary, Mr Ayendi Agede, the union directed all its workers across the six Area Councils to join the strike from Friday.

 

It instructed all its members, including non-teaching staff of the Local Education Authority, to stay at home until further notice, and called for calm, unity and discipline in defence of workers' rights and dignity.

 

As the unions take sides, stakeholders have continued to speak up for schoolchildren, who they say bear the brunt of the dispute.

 

Mr Abdulkarim Muhammad, Secretary General of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Joint Campus Council, FCT Chapter, insisted that students should not pay the price for disputes between the government and labour.

 

Speaking at a joint conference in Abuja on Thursday, Muhammad called on all parties to put students first, protect the classrooms, protect teachers' rights and safeguard the future of FCT students.