The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, has suspended its indefinite strike and directed all affected workers, particularly primary and secondary school teachers, to resume work on Wednesday following agreements reached with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and other stakeholders.
The council’s chairman, Mr Knabayi Adalo, announced the suspension in a communique issued in Abuja on Tuesday. He said the decision followed the conclusion of conciliatory talks involving the NLC, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), the FCTA management and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Adalo said the resolutions were formally adopted at the end of an emergency State Executive Council (SEC) meeting held at the Labour House in the Central Business District of Abuja.
He explained that the suspension was agreed upon in the spirit of social dialogue and industrial harmony following concessions on teachers’ career progression and administrative directives.
According to the communique, the parties agreed that promotion vacancies for education officers would align with established positions declared by the FCT Education Secretariat.
“The council noted that an upcoming exit of directorate officers would clear the path for the upward mobility of eligible officers,” Adalo said.
He also said a new date would be announced for the 2025 promotion examination to allow qualified candidates to participate, following approval by the FCT Executive Council and subsequent communication to the FCT Civil Service Commission.
On the deployment of officers benefiting from the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers back into classrooms, Adalo said stakeholders agreed to maintain the FCT Executive Council’s directive to suspend the process until further notice.
However, Adalo said the NLC would monitor the implementation of the agreements to ensure that the authorities fulfilled their commitments.
He announced that the council would establish a dedicated monitoring committee to enforce the agreed terms within specified timelines.
The NLC chairman warned that any failure by the FCTA or other relevant authorities to implement the agreements would trigger an automatic resumption of the strike without prior notice.
He also said the union had secured a binding agreement that no worker or teacher would face reprisals, penalties or victimisation for participating in the industrial action.
Adalo commended FCT teachers for their resilience and praised the solidarity shown by affiliate unions, the Ministry of Labour and the FCTA management during the negotiations.
