FCTA Says 10 of 14 Workers’ Demands Met, Pledges to Address Remaining Issues Amid Abuja Strike
The Federal Capital Territory Administration has said it has resolved most of the issues raised by workers currently on strike in Abuja. In a statement released on Monday, the senior special assistant to the FCT minister on public communications and social media, Lere Olayinka, said 10 out of the 14 demands submitted by the workers had already been met, while discussions were ongoing to resolve the remaining four. “The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has said that 10 out the 14 demands of the workers that are on strike have been met, adding that other demands are being looked into with a view to addressing them.” Workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration and the Federal Capital Development Authority on Monday embarked on an indefinite strike, bringing government activities in Abuja to a halt. The action followed a directive from the Joint Union Action Congress after an earlier ultimatum over outstanding demands was not addressed. Olayinka said senior officials of the administration had engaged union leaders in several meetings, including sessions held on Saturday and Sunday, adding that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had shown commitment to resolving all the issues. The statement listed measures already taken, including the payment of five months’ outstanding wage award, settlement of 13 months Hazard Allowance and 22 months Rural Allowance owed to health workers, and the payment of arrears amounting to N286,166,772.46, affecting 724 officers across 24 secretariats, departments and agencies. On the issue of extending the tenure of retired directors and permanent secretaries, the administration said the matter had been resolved, with assurances that Public Service Rules would be adhered to. “On elongation of tenure of retired Directors and Permanent Secretaries in violation of the Public Service Rules, this has been ressolved with Minister assuring the workers of strict compliance with the Public Service Rules.” The statement also addressed concerns raised by JUAC regarding staff training and retraining, noting that steps had been taken to address the matter. “JUAC also raised the issue of training and retraining of staff and on this, on this, all SDAs have been directed to forward general and specialized training needs to the permanent Secretary, Common Services for onward submission to the office of the Head of Service for further necessary action.” The FCTA dismissed claims of non-remittance of pension and National Housing Fund deductions, explaining that a committee had been constituted to monitor all deductions and remittances. It described the strike as unnecessary, ill-motivated and aimed at objectives beyond workers’ welfare, given what it described as the extensive efforts already made by the minister to meet nearly all the demands. The administration also called on security agencies to ensure that workers who chose not to participate in the strike are allowed unhindered access to their offices to carry out their lawful duties.
