The Federal Capital Territory Administration has disclosed that the majority of issues raised by workers currently on strike in Abuja have already been resolved
In a statement issued on Monday, the senior special assistant to the FCT minister on public communications and social media, Lere Olayinka, said 10 of the 14 demands presented by the workers had been met, while discussions were ongoing on 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 under the Federal Capital Territory Administration and the Federal Capital Development Authority on Monday began an indefinite strike, shutting down government activities across the nation’s capital. The action followed a directive from the Joint Union Action Congress after an earlier ultimatum over unresolved demands was ignored.
Olayinka said senior government officials had held several meetings with union leaders, including engagements on Saturday and Sunday, noting that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had shown readiness to resolve all outstanding issues.
According to the statement, interventions already implemented include the payment of a five-month outstanding wage award, settlement of 13 months Hazard Allowance and 22 months Rural Allowance owed to health workers, as well as the payment of N286,166,772.46 in arrears covering 724 officers across 24 secretariats, departments and agencies.
Addressing complaints over the extension of tenure for retired directors and permanent secretaries, the administration said the matter had been settled, with assurances that Public Service Rules would be strictly observed.
“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 further said the unions raised concerns about staff training and retraining, adding that steps were already being taken to address the issue.
“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 administration maintained that issues surrounding non-remittance of pension contributions and National Housing Fund deductions were unfounded, explaining that a committee had been set up to monitor deductions and ensure remittances.
It described the ongoing strike as unnecessary and ill-motivated, arguing that the action was clearly aimed at goals beyond the welfare of workers, considering the number of demands already addressed by the minister.
The FCTA also appealed to security agencies to ensure that workers who chose not to join the strike are allowed unhindered access to their offices to carry out their lawful duties.
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Yinmu