Labour unions in the Federal Capital Territory have firmly rejected the threat by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to enforce a no-work, no-pay policy against striking public school teachers and civil servants. The Nigeria Labour Congress FCT Council and the Nigeria Union of Teachers FCT Wing described the minister’s directive as unconstitutional, illegal, provocative, and legally unenforceable.
The dispute follows an indefinite strike action declared by organized labour on October 7 over unresolved welfare grievances involving public school educators and the FCT Administration. In response to the shutdown, Minister Wike directed area council chairmen, principals, and headteachers to open daily attendance registers and penalize absent staff.
Unions Cite Constitutional Guarantees and Labour Laws
In separate circulars addressed to union members, NLC FCT Council Chairman Knabayi Adalo and NUT FCT Wing Secretary Margaret Jethro instructed workers to ignore threats of salary stoppage and refuse to sign attendance registers.
Adalo emphasized that the strike is a legitimate tool protected under Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, the Trade Unions Act, and International Labour Organization Conventions 87, 98, and 151, all of which Nigeria has ratified. He argued that the no-work, no-pay rule under Section 43 of the Trade Disputes Act applies exclusively to illegal strikes.
According to the labour leader, an employer cannot legally withhold salaries when the industrial action was provoked by the employer’s own failure to honor labor agreements. He cited prior decisions by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria supporting workers’ rights to pay during legitimate industrial actions.
Core Demands Behind the FCT Teachers’ Strike
Labour officials maintained that the FCT Administration triggered the current crisis by undermining established teacher welfare standards. The unions are demanding immediate action on several key issues:
- Removal of the Vacancy Clause: Abolishing restrictive conditions placed on teacher promotions.
- Promotion Exercises: Conducting the overdue 2025 promotion exercise without further delay.
- Reinstatement of Demoted Directors: Fully restoring directors who were demoted despite protection under the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022.
Warnings Issued to School Administrators
Union leaders warned school heads against acting as agents of intimidation. Adalo stated that attendance registers opened during a strike hold no legal validity and are designed to cause disunity among staff. He warned that principals or headteachers who force teachers to sign registers or submit lists for punitive action will be held personally accountable and targeted for union picketing.
Echoing these sentiments, NUT Secretary Margaret Jethro reassured teachers that their demands are strictly about welfare rather than political power. She urged members to stay peaceful at home and remain steadfast despite the withdrawal of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools from the joint strike action.