Activities at the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) secretariat in Abuja were brought to a standstill on Monday as workers commenced an industrial action over unresolved labour and welfare issues.
The strike followed a directive by the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC), which instructed staff across all cadres to withdraw their services after an earlier ultimatum to the administration was allegedly ignored.
In response to the shutdown, the FCTA said it had already met 10 of the 14 demands presented by the unions and was engaging workers on the remaining four through ongoing dialogue.
The Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Mr. Lere Olayinka, said senior officials of the administration had held several meetings with union leaders, including engagements on Saturday and Sunday. He added that the FCT Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, had demonstrated a strong commitment to resolving all outstanding issues.
According to the administration, steps already taken include the commencement of payment of five months’ outstanding wage awards, the full settlement of 13 months’ hazard allowance and 22 months’ rural allowance owed to health workers, as well as the approval of N286 million in outstanding promotion arrears for 724 officers across 24 Secretariats, Departments, and Agencies (SDAs).
The FCTA also said concerns surrounding the elongation of the tenure of directors and permanent secretaries due for retirement had been resolved, while the training and retraining needs of staff were being addressed.
It dismissed allegations of non-remittance of pension contributions and National Housing Fund deductions, noting that a committee had been established to monitor all statutory deductions and remittances.
On the conduct of promotion examinations, the administration said the reported pass rate cited by the unions had no official basis, urging workers to await the formal release of the results.
The FCTA further disclosed that some workers, including members of the Law Officers Association of Nigeria, had dissociated themselves from the strike and should be allowed to carry out their duties without obstruction.
Despite the administration’s position, the unions insisted that the strike would continue until all demands were fully met. JUAC reportedly circulated a notice titled “Code Remain at Home”, urging workers to stay away from their offices.
Security operatives were deployed to the secretariat to maintain order and ensure that non-striking employees could access their workplaces.
The FCTA appealed to union leaders and security agencies to engage constructively, stressing that most of the demands had already been addressed and calling on workers to allow uninterrupted service delivery across the territory.
