By BANNERNEWS Reporter
Workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will embark on an indefinite strike on Monday, January 20.
The Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC), said the strike will involve all categories of staff across the FCTA, including employees of the College of Education, Zuba, and senior secondary schools in the territory.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, JUAC President, Comrade Rifkatu Iortyer, said the decision followed what the union described as persistent “breach of trust, inaction, and deliberate demoralisation” of workers by the FCT Administration.
In an address titled “A Plethora of Festering Issues,” Iortyer outlined an 11-point list of grievances, accusing FCTA management of financial impropriety, systemic failures, and bad faith in its dealings with employees.
She described the alleged non-remittance of pension and National Housing Fund (NHF) deductions as a serious breach of trust that threatens the future security of workers.
The union also demanded the immediate removal of retired Directors and Permanent Secretaries, describing the extension of their tenure as a clear violation of Public Service Rules.
“We are appalled by the illegal extension of tenure of retired officers,” Iortyer said.
JUAC further rejected the outcome of the recent promotion exercise, in which about 2,000 staff reportedly passed out of more than 7,000 candidates.
The union alleged that the process was deliberately designed to fail workers in order to avoid payment of promotion arrears.
“We say no to the deliberate mass failure of the 2024 promotion examinations, with the intention of not paying promotion arrears,” Iortyer stated.
Other grievances listed include unpaid promotion arrears, poor working conditions, staff intimidation, lack of training opportunities, and the non-payment of Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) enforcement officers.
Warning that the union would not back down, Iortyer declared: “We demand immediate action on these issues. We will not be silenced by inaction. On this note, I declare an indefinite strike from Monday.”
Our correspondent reports that the strike is expected to paralyse operations across the FCTA Secretariat, Departments, and Agencies (SDAs), while the FCT Administration is yet to issue an official response.
