The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) have rejected Minister Nyesom Wike's directive to enforce the no-work, no-pay policy against workers participating in the ongoing strike in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The unions described the move as illegal and provocative, urging workers and teachers to remain resolute despite threats of salary stoppage and attendance monitoring. The strike, declared by the NLC on October 7, is a response to unresolved labour disputes with the FCT Administration.
The NLC FCT Council Chairman, Mr Knabayi Adalo, and the NUT FCT Wing Secretary, Mrs Margaret Jethro, stated their positions in separate circulars issued to members. The circulars described Wike's directive as "unconstitutional, illegal, provocative and unenforceable". Adalo advised affected workers and teachers to disregard the threats, citing Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, the Trade Unions Act, and International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions 87, 98 and 151, which support workers' right to undertake industrial action after due process.
The labour unions argued that the no-work, no-pay principle, provided for in Section 43 of the Trade Disputes Act, applies only to illegal strikes. They maintained that employers should not benefit from their own alleged breaches of workers' rights where such actions had contributed to the dispute leading to industrial action. Adalo accused the FCT Administration of provoking the strike through violations of teachers' rights, including the imposition of a vacancy clause on promotions and the demotion of directors.
The NLC chairman referred to previous judgments of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, which support workers' entitlement to salaries in certain circumstances involving legitimate strikes. However, the legality of salary deductions in the current dispute remains a contested issue between the labour unions and the FCT Administration. Adalo also condemned reports that some school administrators were compelling teachers to sign attendance registers during the strike.
Adalo directed union members not to sign the registers, arguing that the exercise was intended to undermine the industrial action and expose workers to disciplinary measures. He instructed workers facing queries, threats or harassment to report to the NLC FCT Council Secretariat with evidence of such incidents. The labour leader warned that principals and headteachers who allegedly forced teachers to sign attendance registers or submitted lists for punitive action would be held personally responsible.
The union's demands include the immediate removal of the vacancy clause, the conduct of the 2025 promotion exercise, and the full reinstatement of demoted directors. Jethro described Wike's no-work, no-pay directive as an illegal and empty threat, urging teachers not to return to work out of fear of losing their salaries. She maintained that the strike was motivated by workers' welfare rather than political considerations.
The dispute has heightened tensions between labour unions and the FCT Administration, with salary deductions, promotion-related grievances, and the treatment of school administrators at the centre of the disagreement. A negotiated settlement addressing the unions' grievances could help restore normal operations and prevent further disruption to education in the FCT.
Key points
- The Nigeria Labour Congress and Nigeria Union of Teachers have rejected Minister Nyesom Wike's no-work, no-pay directive amid an ongoing strike in the Federal Capital Territory.
- The strike, declared by the NLC on October 7, is a response to unresolved labour disputes with the FCT Administration.
- The unions argue that the no-work, no-pay principle only applies to illegal strikes, and that employers should not benefit from their own breaches of workers' rights.
