The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), sitting in Abuja, has ordered workers under the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) to suspend their ongoing strike action that has paralysed activities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Justice E.D. Subilim granted an interlocutory injunction filed by the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in suit number NICN/ABJ/17/2026, restraining JUAC and its leadership from continuing the industrial action.
The FCT Minister and the FCTA had dragged the Chairman of JUAC, Rifkatu Iortyer, and its Secretary, Abdullahi Umar Saleh, before the court, seeking an order restraining them, their agents and privies from embarking on, continuing or participating in any industrial action, including picketing or lockout.
Delivering his ruling on Tuesday, Justice Subilim held that although the dispute qualified as a trade dispute and had met the required legal conditions, the right of workers to embark on strike was not absolute.
He ruled that once a trade dispute had been referred to the National Industrial Court, workers were prohibited from participating in any strike, adding that where such action was already ongoing, it must cease pending the determination of the case.
“An order of interlocutory injunction is hereby granted, restraining the claimants and representatives… from further embarking on any industrial action against the claimant. The order shall remain in force, pending the determination of this suit,” the judge said.
The court adjourned the matter to March 23, 2026, for hearing of the substantive suit.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported that Justice Subilim had fixed Tuesday for ruling after hearing arguments from counsel to both parties on Monday.
The suit followed a crippling strike by workers of the FCTA and its agencies, which began last Monday after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued by labour unions, leading to the shutdown of major government offices and disruption of public services across Abuja.
While FCTA management had claimed that most of the workers’ demands had been met, JUAC dismissed the claims, insisting that several core issues, including unpaid entitlements and welfare-related grievances, remained unresolved.
During the hearing, counsel to the workers, Maxwell Opara, urged the court to dismiss the application, arguing that granting the injunction would amount to determining the substantive suit at an interlocutory stage.
However, counsel to the claimants, James Onoja (SAN), had maintained that JUAC lacked juristic personality and was not registered under the Trade Union Act, insisting that the strike was illegal.
Leave a Reply