Minimum Wage: FCT Workers Begin Indefinite Strike

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, has directed all workers in the six area councils of the FCT to begin an indefinite strike from December 1.
The chairman of the council, Mr Knabanyi Idalo, gave the directive in a statement in Abuja on Saturday.
Idalo explained that this was in adherence to the communique by the NLC National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on November 8 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He said that the NEC, in the communiqué, appealed to the councils’ chairmen to implement the N70,000 national minimum wage.
He, however, said that the chairmen had refused to respond to the demand for implementation of the minimum wage in their respective area councils.
Idalo said that in response to this inaction, the organised labour in its State Administrative Council meeting held on November 12 unanimously resolved to adhere strictly to the national directive to embark on an indefinite strike.
He said this directive is subject to any government’s failure to implement the national minimum wage on or before the last day of November.
“The state administrative council also noted with deep frustration the persistent delay and outright refusal by the area councils’ chairmen to pay some pending entitlements to the workers, including the outstanding arrears of primary school teachers,” Adalo said.
According to him, failure to implement the new national minimum wage is a gross violation of the law and total disregard for the welfare and well-being of workers in the area councils.
“Therefore, all workers in the six area councils in FCT are hereby directed without hesitation to proceed on an indefinite strike beginning from Dec. 1 until further directives,” he said.