FCTA Workers Shut Down Secretariat as Strike Begins

Activities at the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Secretariat were brought to a halt on Monday morning as workers commenced an indefinite strike over unresolved labour and welfare issues.

The shutdown followed a directive from the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC), which instructed workers across all cadres of the administration to withdraw their services by Monday, January 19, 2025, citing the authorities’ failure to address long-standing demands.

The directive was contained in a statement dated January 8 and signed by JUAC President Rifkatu Iortyer and Secretary Abdullahi Saleh. According to the unions, an earlier ultimatum issued on January 7 expired without any meaningful response from management.

JUAC listed several grievances, including the non-payment of outstanding promotion arrears, delays in the conduct and release of promotion exercises, and the continued extension of service for retired directors and permanent secretaries. The unions said the practice was hindering career progression for serving officers.

Workers also accused the administration of failing to remit statutory deductions such as pension contributions and National Housing Fund payments, warning that the lapses could threaten the future welfare of affected staff.

In addition, JUAC expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of the 2024 promotion examinations, describing the exercise as largely unsuccessful and alleging that many of its members were negatively impacted.

The unions insisted that the strike would continue until their demands are met.

Security operatives have since been deployed to the secretariat to maintain order, while the FCTA had yet to issue an official response as of the time of filing this report.

Hours before the strike began, JUAC circulated a notice titled “Code Remain at Home,” urging workers to cooperate and support what it described as “agitations for a better working condition in FCTA.”

“By this notice, all staff are advised to stay at home as the strike action declared by JUAC commences on Monday, January 19th, 2026. Do not come to work from tomorrow because the JUAC taskforce will be on the ground to ensure compliance,” the notice read in part.

The union leadership also called on members to maintain the status quo until further directives, punctuating the message with solidarity slogans such as “Aluta Continua! Victoria Acerta!” and “Enough is enough!”

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