The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) FCT Council has directed workers across the public and private sectors in the Federal Capital Territory to commence an indefinite strike over the promotion policy for FCT teachers. This directive took effect on Wednesday, following the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the FCT Administration on September 8. The labour council described the FCT Administration's response to its demands as inadequate.
The NLC specifically faults the requirement that teachers must wait for vacancies before they can be promoted, describing the policy as alien to the teaching profession and responsible for years of career stagnation. The council argues that teachers employed by the FCT Universal Basic Education Board and FCT Secondary Education Board were recruited specifically to teach and should therefore be promoted "as and when due."
In resolutions signed by its Chairman, Comrade Knabayi Adalo, the council said teachers were neither core civil servants nor pool staff and should not be subjected to vacancy-based promotion schemes. The council demanded the removal of the vacancy requirement for the promotion of FCT teachers and the reconsideration of teachers who were eligible in 2025 to sit for their promotion examination before or alongside the 2026 candidates.
The council also demanded the withdrawal of redeployment and demotion letters issued to directors who benefited from the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022, as well as the immediate reinstatement of the dissolved management teams of the FCT SEB and UBEB. The NLC FCT Council described the FCTA's response to its ultimatum as "neither clear, positive, nor genuine."
The council's State Executive Council meeting on Monday at the NLC FCT Secretariat resulted in a communiqué stating that the FCTA's response failed to address the vacancy clause, which it described as the "root cause of career stagnation." The council also expressed concern over the "illegal redeployment of directors." The response was deemed ambiguous and totally unacceptable.
The NLC directed affiliate unions to mobilise their members for total compliance with the strike and establish enforcement committees, while ensuring that workers participating in the action were protected against victimisation. The NLC said schools, hospitals, government offices and other establishments were to remain shut until its demands were fully addressed.
The council defended the action, stating that the FCT Administration's attempt to sustain industrial harmony without addressing underlying injustice is mere wishful thinking. The strike would remain total and indefinite until its demands were met. The council appealed to parents, civil society organisations and well-meaning Nigerians to bear with workers and prevail on the FCTA to resolve the issues.
Key points
- The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) FCT Council has ordered an indefinite strike over the promotion policy for FCT teachers.
- The strike is in response to the FCT Administration's inadequate response to the council's demands.
- The NLC faults the requirement that teachers must wait for vacancies before they can be promoted.
