The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, and organised labour unions have reached a late‑night agreement that resulted in the suspension of an ongoing strike and the immediate resumption of work by affected employees in Abuja.
The truce followed several hours of talks on Monday night that ended in the early hours of Tuesday, officials and union leaders said.
Negotiations were led by Senator Mohammed Bomoi, Chairman of the Senate Committee on the FCT, with leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) in attendance. The meeting lasted more than three hours before concluding around 3:50 a.m. with an agreement aimed at restoring industrial peace.
Following the talks, the Acting General Secretary of the NLC, Comrade Benson Upah, and the TUC General Secretary, Dr Nuhu Toro, briefed journalists on the resolutions reached to ease tensions between the parties.
They said the agreement included guarantees that no worker would face victimisation for participating in the strike and that all pending cases at the National Industrial Court related to the dispute would be withdrawn.
Upah said each grievance presented by members of the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC) was addressed during the negotiations and that the FCT Minister pledged continuous engagement and mutual respect with organised labour going forward.
As a result of the agreement, workers under JUAC as well as affiliates of the NLC and TUC working within the FCT Administration were instructed to resume duties immediately.
Union leaders also urged all affiliates to comply with the directive in the interest of industrial peace and harmony.
The strike had been triggered by unresolved labour concerns within the FCT Administration, leading organised labour to down tools and threaten mass protests.
A separate order by the National Industrial Court had earlier restrained labour from embarking on any strike or protest within the FCT pending ongoing legal proceedings.
The interventions by the Senate Committee and the parties’ late‑night negotiations resulted in a resolution that brought business back to normal in the nation’s capital.
