The Trade Union Congress (TUC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, has directed its affiliate unions and members to disregard the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)’s directive for an indefinite strike over the dispute between the FCT Administration (FCTA) and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).
The TUC FCT Council, in a statement, said the NLC’s directive, contained in a communiqué dated October 6, 2026, was issued without consultation with the TUC or any of its affiliate unions in the territory.
The NLC had directed public and private sector workers across the FCT to embark on an indefinite strike beginning Wednesday, October 7, over the dispute involving the FCTA and the NUT.
However, distancing itself from the action, the TUC FCT Council said it neither participated in the meeting that produced the strike directive nor endorsed the decision to embark on industrial action.
“The TUC FCT is not a party to the said industrial action,” the council stated, insisting that the directive was issued without its involvement.
Consequently, the council instructed all its affiliate unions and members to continue their normal duties and business activities and report to work as usual.
It also warned against attempts to intimidate or coerce its members into joining the strike, directing anyone subjected to such pressure to report the incident to the TUC FCT Secretariat without delay.
The council further instructed affiliate union leaders to disregard any directive to establish “enforcement committees” unless such instructions came from the TUC FCT leadership.
It urged members to remain calm, law-abiding and vigilant, adding that any further guidance would be communicated by the council’s leadership should the situation change.
While expressing concern about the welfare of children, teachers and other workers in the FCT, the TUC said disputes affecting the education sector and workers’ welfare should be resolved through proper consultation and established industrial relations channels.
The council maintained that a proactive approach and effective engagement were necessary to address the issues without unnecessarily disrupting children’s access to education and their future prospects.
It reiterated its willingness to support dialogue and consultation as the appropriate means of resolving the dispute.
The development signals a divergence between the positions of the two major labour centres in the FCT over the proposed industrial action, with the TUC directing its members to remain at work while the NLC’s strike directive calls for a shutdown of public and private sector activities.