By Joy Yesufu
Workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), backed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Monday protested at the National Industrial Court in Abuja as part of an ongoing total and indefinite strike over unresolved labour issues.
The demonstration followed a directive by the NLC endorsing the industrial action, which it described as justified in the face of what it termed persistent violations of workers’ rights by the FCTA management and political leadership.
Protesting workers, who shut down activities across several departments, carried placards bearing messages such as “Wike must go!!”, “Abuja no be Rivers”, “Pay promotion arrears”, “Enough is Enough” and “No working tools,” highlighting grievances ranging from unpaid entitlements to poor working conditions.
Labour leaders accused the FCTA of failing to honour agreements reached with workers, particularly on promotion arrears and the provision of essential work tools, despite repeated engagements and negotiations.
The workers vowed to sustain the strike until their demands are met, warning that normal operations within the FCT civil service would remain disrupted if the authorities failed to take urgent action.
As of the time of filing this report, the FCTA management had yet to issue an official response to the protest.
