Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have called off a planned protest in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and directed workers under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to “resume work immediately.”
The decision followed a marathon meeting between labour leaders, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and members of the Senate Committee on the FCT that began late Monday and continued into the early hours of Tuesday. After the talks, the unions said the issues raised by the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) had been fully addressed and that all related cases at the National Industrial Court would be withdrawn.
In a joint statement signed by TUC Secretary-General Nuru Toro and acting NLC General Secretary Benson Upah, the labour centres said the minister assured organised labour of “mutual respect and sustained engagement going forward,” and that “no worker shall be victimised in any manner” over the dispute. They urged all affiliates to comply with the directive “in the interest of industrial peace and harmony in good faith.”
The planned protest was to follow weeks of industrial unrest after FCTA workers began an indefinite strike in January over unresolved labour and welfare demands, leading to disruptions across federal departments in the capital. On Monday, the National Industrial Court in Abuja issued an order restraining the NLC and TUC from the protest, after an ex parte application filed by Wike and the FCTA.
