By Sarah NEGEDU
There’s no end in sight to the prolong strike embarked by public school teachers and primary health workers in the FCT, as the Tuesday meeting between the FCT Labour and the House Committee on FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters ended in deadlock.
Reports from the meetings suggest that the workers viewed the outcome as not convincing enough for any serious consideration, and so resolved to continue with the strike until their demands are met.
Primary school teachers and health workers in primary health centres across the six area councils have been on strike over the non-payment of entitlements and non-implementation of the new minimum wage.
However, the recent intervention by the FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters may not have yielded the needed results as leaders of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees,
NULGE, are refusing to shift grounds.
An update shared by the FCT labour office maintained that the Congress was standing their ground due to the numerous failed promises and agreements made to the workers in the past.
The update sent by the state Secretary of the union pointed that members of the House Committee were not pleased with the disruption of academic activities at the primary schools, the loss of lives due to the closure of primary health centres, and the closure of Area Council secretariats across the FCT.
It also added that the Council Chairmen lamented the inadequacy of their allocation to implement the new minimum wage, however the committee asked if their allocation, the IGR, including the 10% FCT IRS accruals, could not settle the new wage.
The report also hinted the intrigues around the N4.1 billion intervention by the FCT Minister; Nyesom Wike, stating that “After the presentation of Labour, they were asked if the Hon Minister, FCT, intervened on the issue through the release of over N4.1 billion. After the initial denial, they reluctantly accepted that the said money was released to them but not meant for the implementation of the New Minimum Wage.
“Given the denial, the committee resolved to invite the FCT Permanent Secretary of the Treasury for clarification, while the Council Chairmen were asked to render an account of what they did with the over #4.1 billion before Friday, 2/5/25.”
It further disclosed that the committee looked through the demands of the unions and agreed that they were all genuine but pleaded with the unions to suspend the ongoing strike for the sake of the education of the young ones and the sanctity of lives. They promised to take up the issue of the FCT Area Council workers’ welfare seriously when the house resumes from their recess.
The workers however concluded that, “Consequent to the above, and considering the previous failed promises and agreements, the leaders of the Concerned Unions viewed the outcome of the meeting as not convincing enough for any serious consideration and, therefore, resolved to continue with the strike until the outstanding demands are met.”
Those present at the meeting were the Chairmen of Abaji, Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kwali, AMAC, representatives of NLC, and leaders of NUT, NULGE, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, NANNM & MHWUN.
