NLC, TUC Back FCT Workers, Insist Strike Continues Despite Court Order
Oluwafunbi Bello 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) declare full support for striking Federal Capital Territory (FCT) workers, insisting the industrial action continues despite a court ruling ordering a suspension.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, the labour centres accuse FCT Minister Nyesom Wike of intimidation and harassment, describing the treatment of workers as unacceptable and provocative.
The unions say the recent ruling by the National Industrial Court (NIC) already places a heavy burden on workers, warning that further threats and humiliation risk escalating the dispute.
“We cannot watch from the sidelines while workers are intimidated and insulted,” the statement says. “Workers cannot be made slaves in their own country.”
The organised labour argues that the court injunction targets individual union leaders, not the striking unions themselves, maintaining that the legal basis for continuing the strike remains intact.
FCT workers began an indefinite strike last week over unresolved welfare and labour demands, leading to widespread shutdowns across major government offices in Abuja.
Wike subsequently files a suit against the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC), prompting the NIC to order workers to suspend the strike pending determination of the case.
However, labour unions insist that the minister missed an opportunity to pursue dialogue. “Instead of negotiation, he resorted to threats,” the statement adds.
The standoff underscores growing tensions between organised labour and the FCT administration, with services in the capital remaining disrupted.
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Mirian Gom 
Chukwu Obinna 
