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.
The council’s chairman, Mr Knabayi Adalo, announced the suspension in a communiqué issued in Abuja on Tuesday.
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 explained that the resolutions were formally adopted at the end of an emergency State Executive Council (SEC) meeting held at Labour House in Abuja’s Central Business District.
According to him, the suspension was agreed upon in the spirit of social dialogue and industrial harmony, following key concessions on teachers’ career progression and administrative directives.
On the provision of vacancies for education officers, Adalo said it was resolved that promotion vacancies would align with established positions declared by the FCT Education Secretariat.
He stated that the anticipated retirement of directorate officers would create opportunities for the career advancement of eligible personnel.
Regarding the 2025 promotion examination, he said the FCT Executive Council had approved the process and communicated its decision to the FCT Civil Service Commission. A new examination date would be announced to enable qualified candidates to participate.
On the deployment of teachers benefiting from the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers back to classroom duties, Adalo said stakeholders agreed to uphold the FCT Executive Council’s directive to suspend the process until further notice.
The NLC chairman, however, outlined conditions to ensure that the agreements were fully implemented.
He said the council would establish a dedicated monitoring committee to oversee compliance with the agreed terms within the specified timelines.
Adalo warned that any failure by the FCTA or the relevant authorities to implement the agreements would trigger an automatic resumption of the strike without further notice.
He also assured workers who participated in the industrial action that the union had secured a binding agreement protecting them from reprisals, penalties or victimisation.
The chairman commended FCT teachers for their resilience and praised the solidarity shown by affiliate unions, the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and FCTA management throughout the negotiations.
The NLC had, on 7 October, directed workers across the FCTA, including those in the private sector, to embark on an indefinite strike over unresolved labour disputes and policy grievances affecting teachers.
