By Eunice Orike
The Nigeria Labour Congress NLC, Federal Capital Territory FCT,Council, has suspended its indefinite strike and directed affected workers, particularly primary and secondary school teachers, to resume work on Wednesday.
Recall, that the NLC, on October,7th directed workers in the FCT Administration, including those in the private sector, to embark on an indefinite strike over unresolved labour disputes and policy grievances affecting teachers.
The FCT NLC Chairman, Knabayi Adalo, announced the suspension in a communique issued in Abuja on Tuesday night.
Adalo said the decision followed the conclusion of conciliatory talks involving the NLC, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), the management of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
He said the resolutions were adopted at an emergency meeting of the union’s State Executive Council (SEC) held at the Labour House, Central Business District, Abuja.
According to him, the suspension was agreed upon in the interest of social dialogue and industrial harmony after key concessions were reached on teachers’ career progression and administrative directives.
On the issue of vacancies for education officers, Adalo said the parties agreed that promotion vacancies would be based on established positions declared by the FCT Education Secretariat.
He added that the expected retirement of some directorate officers would create opportunities for eligible officers to advance in their careers.
On the 2025 promotion examination, the NLC chairman said a new date would be announced following approval by the FCT Executive Council and communication with the FCT Civil Service Commission.
He said the new date would enable qualified candidates to sit for the examination.
Adalo also said stakeholders agreed to maintain the FCT Executive Council’s directive suspending the deployment of officers benefiting from the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers back into classrooms until further notice.
However, he said the union would establish a monitoring committee to ensure that the authorities implemented the agreements within the stipulated timelines.
He warned that failure by the FCTA or other relevant authorities to honour the agreements would lead to an automatic resumption of the strike without prior notice.
The NLC chairman also assured workers who participated in the industrial action that no worker or teacher would face reprisals, penalties or victimisation for taking part in the strike.
He commended FCT teachers for their resilience and praised the solidarity shown by affiliate unions, the Ministry of Labour and the FCTA management during the negotiations.
