Workers across the Federal Capital Territory have been directed to withdraw their services indefinitely from Wednesday as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) escalated its dispute with the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) over the treatment of teachers.
The directive covers workers in both the public and private sectors, with the NLC FCT Council ordering the closure of government offices, schools, hospitals and other establishments across the territory until its demands are addressed.
The industrial action followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the FCTA over the promotion of teachers and the redeployment of some education directors.
In a communiqué issued after its State Executive Council meeting on Monday and signed by the council chairman, Knabayi Adalo, the NLC said the FCTA’s response to its demands was “ambiguous and totally unacceptable.”
At the centre of the dispute is the requirement that teachers must have available vacancies before they can be promoted, a condition the labour body said was creating career stagnation within the FCT education system.
The NLC demanded that the vacancy requirement be removed, insisting that teachers should be promoted based on their eligibility rather than the availability of vacant positions.
It also demanded that teachers who became eligible for promotion in 2025 be allowed to sit for their promotion examinations before or alongside the 2026 candidates.
Another major point of contention is the redeployment and alleged demotion of directors who are beneficiaries of the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022.
The labour council is also demanding the dissolution of the management teams of the FCT State Education Board and the FCT Universal Basic Education Board, as well as the immediate reinstatement of affected officials.
According to the NLC, the FCTA failed to address what it described as the fundamental issues responsible for the dispute, particularly the vacancy clause and the treatment of education directors.
The council argued that teachers should not be subjected to promotion conditions designed for general civil service pool officers because their appointments are specifically tied to teaching responsibilities.
“Teachers are neither core civil servants nor pool staff and cannot be subjected to vacancy-based promotion schemes meant for pool officers,” the NLC said.
The labour body directed its affiliate unions to mobilise members for full compliance with the strike and ordered the establishment of enforcement committees across the FCT.
It also warned against victimisation of workers who participate in the industrial action.
The NLC appealed to parents, civil society groups and other stakeholders to intervene in the dispute, warning that the continued disagreement could further disrupt education and other essential services in the territory.
The council maintained that the strike would remain in force until the FCTA satisfactorily addresses its demands.
“There can be no peace without justice,” the NLC declared.
