The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has ordered a full escalation of the ongoing strike by workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), describing the action as a justified and courageous response to alleged violations of workers’ rights.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, declared the union’s total backing for the striking workers under the Joint Unions Action Congress, stating that the Congress stood “very strongly” with them.
Ajaero accused the leadership of the FCTA of engaging in economic sabotage and bureaucratic oppression, insisting that the grievances raised by the workers were legitimate and long overdue.
According to the NLC, the failure of the FCTA to pay five months’ Wage Award alongside outstanding promotion arrears amounts to a deliberate denial of workers’ earned entitlements rather than a mere administrative oversight.
“This is a direct assault on workers’ livelihoods and a clear violation of the constitutional right to fair remuneration,” Ajaero said.
He further criticised the non-remittance of pension contributions since May 2025 and the failure to remit National Housing Fund deductions, warning that such actions would condemn affected workers to hardship in retirement.
“This is capital accumulation by dispossession, plain and simple, and it is completely unacceptable,” he added.
The labour centre also alleged that FCTA authorities had adopted what it described as “fascistic tactics” against workers, including intimidation, restrictions on phone usage, and the detention of staff accused of speaking out.
“These actions are calculated to weaken workers’ solidarity and suppress dissent, showing utter disregard for constitutional provisions and international labour standards,” the NLC stated.
As part of its resolutions, the Congress directed all its affiliated unions within the FCT to fully join and intensify the strike, stressing that the matter had now evolved into a collective struggle for all workers in the nation’s capital.
The NLC also instructed workers to mobilise en masse to the National Industrial Court on Monday, January 26, 2026, when the case is expected to be heard.
“Let the court premises be filled with the dignified presence of the working class, sending a clear message of unity and resolve,” Ajaero urged.
In a rare move, the Congress further mandated daily compulsory prayer and solidarity sessions from 8:00am to 5:00pm at designated locations across the FCT, describing the exercise as moral and spiritual support for the struggle.
Additionally, all trade unions in the territory were directed to immediately forge alliances with civil society organisations, students, community groups and other mass movements, signalling plans to expand the strike into a broader social protest.
“This is no longer just a labour dispute; it has become a people’s struggle against an insensitive administration,” the NLC declared.
The Congress warned the FCTA leadership and political authorities that workers’ patience had been exhausted and that failure to meet their demands would result in even stronger resistance.
“Their ultimatum was and remains our ultimatum. Their demands are our demands,” Ajaero said.
Addressing the striking workers directly, he added: “Your struggle is our struggle. Your victory will be a victory for every exploited worker in Nigeria. Stand firm. No retreat, no surrender. Workers united can never be defeated.”
