…fixes Tuesday for ruling on strike
The National Industrial Court (NICN) in Abuja has adjourned until Tuesday to deliver a ruling on a motion seeking to restrain workers under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) from continuing their ongoing strike action.
Justice Emmanuel Subilim fixed the date after hearing arguments from the legal team of the FCT Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, and counsel representing the protesting workers.
The suit, marked NICN/ABJ/17/2026, lists the FCT Minister and the FCTA as claimants. The defendants are the President and Secretary of the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC), Rifkatu Iortyer and Abdullahi Saleh, respectively.
The claimants are praying the court to issue an order compelling the striking workers to return to their duty posts immediately, arguing that the industrial action has crippled essential services within the nation’s capital.
During the resumed proceedings, counsel to the defendants, Mr. Maxwell Opara, moved an application to join the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) as defendants in the suit.
Opara argued that the inclusion of the national labour centers was necessary to ensure they would be bound by any order the court might issue.
However, the application was vehemently opposed by the claimants’ lawyer, Mr. James Onoja, SAN. Onoja contended that the suit was already properly constituted and argued that the matter could be effectively determined without the NLC and TUC.
He further noted that the two specific defendants on record are not registered under the Trade Union Act.
Justice Subilim, in a preliminary ruling, declined the request to join the NLC and TUC.
The judge held that since the claimants chose not to sue the two national unions, it was not the court’s place to order their mandatory inclusion as defendants. Consequently, the court adjourned the main ruling on the restraining order against the strike until Tuesday.
The workers embarked on the industrial action to protest alleged unresolved welfare issues, including a backlog of five months of unpaid salaries, long-outstanding promotion arrears, and poor working conditions within the FCTA.
While the legal arguments ensued inside the courtroom, the premises were besieged by protesting workers displaying placards to register their displeasure with the Minister’s decision to opt for litigation.
Placards bore inscriptions such as “Wike must go,” “Abuja no be Rivers,” “Pay promotion arrears,” and “No working tools.” Armed security operatives were stationed around the court vicinity to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
