Court Orders FCT Workers to Suspend Strike Over Matters Already in Court

By Otobong Gabriel, Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has ordered protesting workers to immediately suspend their strike, ruling that industrial action cannot proceed on matters already under judicial scrutiny.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Emmanuel Subilim explained that allowing workers to embark on a strike when the issues are awaiting court determination amounts to a resort to self-help.

While recognizing the constitutional right of FCT workers to engage in industrial action, the court emphasized that this right is not absolute. 

Citing Section 18(1)(b) of the Trade Dispute Act, Justice Subilim stressed that in a trade dispute, workers cannot strike over issues that have already been referred to the Industrial Court for adjudication.

The ruling was issued following a suit filed by the FCT Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, and the FCT Administration (FCTA) against the President and Secretary of the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC), Rifkatu Iortyer and Abdullahi Saleh, respectively. 

The case is cited as NICN/ABJ/17/2026.

The workers had embarked on industrial action citing unresolved welfare concerns, including a backlog of five months’ unpaid salaries, long-outstanding promotion arrears, and poor working conditions within the FCT.

Justice Subilim ordered that the strike cease immediately and that all workers return to their duties while the matter continues to be handled through legal channels.