The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), FCT Wing, have rejected the no-work, no-pay directive issued by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, insisting that the ongoing strike by workers and teachers is lawful.

The unions described the directive as unconstitutional, illegal and unenforceable, urging their members to remain resolute despite threats of salary deductions, attendance monitoring and possible sanctions.

The NLC FCT Council Chairman, Mr Knabayi Adalo, and the NUT FCT Wing Secretary, Mrs Margaret Jethro, stated their positions in separate circulars to members on Sunday.

Wike had directed area council chairmen, the FCT Head of Civil Service, principals and headteachers to enforce the no-work, no-pay policy and open attendance registers to monitor workers participating in the indefinite strike.

The industrial action, declared by the NLC on October 7, followed unresolved disputes between the FCT Administration and the teachers’ union.

Reacting to the minister’s directive, Adalo urged workers and teachers to disregard the threats, arguing that the right to strike was recognised under Nigerian law and relevant international labour conventions.

He cited Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, the Trade Unions Act and International Labour Organisation Conventions 87, 98 and 151 in support of the unions’ position.

According to him, the NLC FCT Council has fulfilled the legal requirements for embarking on the strike.

On the threat to withhold salaries, Adalo argued that Section 43 of the Trade Disputes Act, which provides for the no-work, no-pay principle, should not be used to punish workers participating in what he described as a legitimate industrial action.

He accused the FCT Administration of creating the conditions that led to the strike through its handling of teachers’ promotions and other employment-related issues.

Among the union’s grievances, he said, was the imposition of a vacancy clause on teachers’ promotions, which he maintained had infringed on their rights.

He also faulted the alleged demotion of directors who, according to him, were entitled to the provisions of the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers Act, 2022.

Adalo further referred to previous judgments of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, which he said supported workers’ claims to salaries in certain circumstances involving legitimate industrial disputes.

The labour leader also warned teachers against signing attendance registers opened by school authorities during the strike, alleging that the exercise was intended to facilitate punitive measures against participating workers.

He directed members who faced queries, intimidation or harassment to report to the NLC FCT Council Secretariat with relevant evidence.

Adalo warned that principals and headteachers who allegedly coerced teachers into signing attendance registers or submitted lists of striking workers for disciplinary action could face union sanctions, including picketing.

He called on the FCT Administration to address the grievances that triggered the strike rather than resort to threats and intimidation.

The union’s demands include the removal of the vacancy clause, the conduct of the 2025 promotion exercise and the full reinstatement of directors allegedly demoted by the administration.

Adalo assured workers that the NLC would continue to defend their rights and oppose any attempt to victimise them for participating in the strike.

Similarly, Jethro dismissed Wike’s no-work, no-pay directive as an empty threat and urged teachers not to abandon the industrial action out of fear.

She called on members to remain united, peaceful and law-abiding, insisting that their demands were driven by welfare concerns rather than political interests.

“Our demands are genuine and not political, as is being insinuated. We are asking for our welfare, not for power,” she said.

Jethro also commended teachers for complying with the strike despite what she described as a betrayal by the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), which she accused of withdrawing from the industrial action.

She urged teachers to remain at home in compliance with the strike while maintaining discipline and solidarity.

The FCT Administration had yet to respond to the unions’ latest allegations in the report.