The Nigeria Labour Congress has accused the Federal Capital Territory Administration management and political leadership of wage abuse, intimidation of workers, and failure to meet statutory obligations.
Declaring its full support for the ongoing indefinite strike by FCTA workers, the NLC described the action as justified and necessary in the face of what it termed sustained violations of workers’ rights.
Workers of the FCTA and the Federal Capital Development Authority commenced an indefinite strike on Monday after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum, grounding activities across major government offices in Abuja.
The industrial action shut down operations at the FCTA Secretariat, prompting the deployment of operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Police Force to restrict access to the complex.
Despite claims by the FCTA management that most of the workers’ demands had been met, the Joint Union Action Congress rejected the assertion and insisted that the issues at stake remained unresolved.
In a statement issued after consultations with the leadership of the JUAC on Friday, the labour body said the strike followed a petition by JUAC, which detailed alleged deliberate actions against workers in the nation’s capital.
The statement was signed by the President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero.
“Their ongoing total and indefinite strike action is not merely justified; it is a necessary and heroic response to a vicious cocktail of neoliberal attacks, gross administrative impunity, and a systematic violation of the fundamental rights of workers by the FCTA management and its political leadership,” the statement noted.
According to the union, the consultation revealed “a calculated assault on the working class,” prompting what it described as an unavoidable escalation of industrial action.
The congress alleged that five months’ wage awards and promotion arrears had been illegally withheld, an action it said directly affected workers’ livelihoods.
It also accused the FCTA of failing to remit pension contributions and National Housing Fund deductions since May 2025, warning that the situation endangered the welfare of both serving and retired workers.
The NLC further condemned reported acts of intimidation, including restrictions on phone usage and the incarceration of workers, describing such actions as violations of constitutional rights and international labour conventions.
As part of its directives, the NLC ordered all affiliate unions within the Federal Capital Territory to align with and intensify the ongoing strike.
It also directed workers to mobilise to the National Industrial Court on Monday, January 26, 2026, when matters relating to the dispute are scheduled to be heard.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress therefore declares and directs: a total escalation of the industrial action. All affiliate unions within the Federal Capital Territory are hereby directed to fully align with and intensify the ongoing industrial action. This struggle is now the struggle of every worker in the FCT.
“All workers are to mobilise to the court on Monday, January 26, 2026. In pursuit of justice and to demonstrate our collective resolve, all workers in the Federal Capital Territory are directed to converge en masse at the National Industrial Court on Monday, January 26, 2026, where matters relating to this struggle will be heard.
