Wike declares FCT NLC strike political, orders ‘no work, no pay’ for absent workers

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has described the indefinite strike declared by the FCT chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) as political, insisting that there is no justification for the industrial action.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja after a meeting with FCT Area Council chairmen, Wike said the FCT Administration had already reached agreements on the issues raised by the workers and was implementing them.

“This so-called strike declaration is political and we will not accept it. There’s no basis for anybody to call for a strike. All the things they are talking about have been agreed and are being implemented,” he said.

The minister said the FCT Administration was not in conflict with teachers, adding that efforts were already being made to address outstanding issues affecting workers.

He also claimed that the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) had distanced themselves from the strike declared by the FCT NLC.

According to him, the decision by the NLC did not represent the position of all labour unions in the territory.

Wike directed the six Area Council chairmen to immediately ask teachers and other civil servants to return to their duty posts.

He warned that any worker who failed to resume work would be affected by the government’s “no work, no pay” policy.

The minister further alleged that the chairman of the NLC in the FCT was a former Area Council aspirant on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and was using the strike to create political tension in the territory.

The FCT NLC had earlier declared an indefinite strike over unresolved welfare and salary-related issues affecting workers in the Area Councils, including teachers. The action has disrupted activities in public schools and some council offices across the Federal Capital Territory.

The latest position by the FCT Administration sets the stage for a possible showdown between the government and organised labour as both sides maintain opposing positions over the strike.