The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have called on workers of the Federal Capital Territory, who are currently at logger head with the minister of the FCT, to defend their rights with courage and dignity.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, the two labour centers pledged their support for the workers whom they described as shabbily treated by the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike.
According to the statement, the recent ruling by the industrial court is enough burden for the workers, and for the minister to add intimidation, humiliation, insults and harassment to the menu is something they cannot watch from the sidelines.
The organised labour further declared that the strike continues until Wike comes off his high horse and negotiates with the workers.
“Today, we (NLC and TUC) find it necessary to issue a joint statement of support in solidarity with the workers of Federal Capital Territory who have been shabbily treated by the Minister of FCT, Mr Wike and rubber-stamped by an Abuja National Industrial Court in a one-sided ruling intended to break up the strike and make workers perpetual slaves,” the statement read.
“As patently skewed as the ruling was, we had thought Mr Wike would use the window to reach out to organised labour for an amicable resolution of the issues, but he had boastfully resorted to threats against workers.
“The offernses committed against the FCT workers are serious enough. To add intimidation, humiliation, insults and harassment to the menu is something we cannot watch from the sidelines.
“Workers cannot be made slaves in their country. We stand for the rule of law and its observance to the hilt, no matter the status of the parties to this dispute.
“Accordingly, we not only support the workers in this action, we urge them to maintain high morale in the face of relentless threats. Happily, Mr. Wike obtained an order of interlocutory injunction against the two individual union leaders and not against the striking trade unions. So the strike continues.”
FCTA workers began an indefinite strike last week over “authorities’ failure to address long-standing labour and welfare demands”.
The strike has led to the shutdown of activities across major government offices in Abuja.
Subsequently, Wike sued the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC) over the industrial action.
On Tuesday, the National Industrial Court in Abuja ordered the workers to suspend their strike.
Delivering the ruling, the presiding judge, Emmanuel Subilim, held that although the matter before the court amounted to a trade dispute, the defendants’ right to embark on industrial action was not absolute.
He said once a dispute has been referred to the national industrial court, any ongoing strike must cease pending the determination of the case.
