FCTA secures court order to halt JUAC strike

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has obtained a court order restraining the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC) from continuing its indefinite strike, marking a legal escalation in the ongoing dispute between FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the administration’s workforce.

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Abuja, on Thursday issued an order of interlocutory injunction barring JUAC from further industrial action that had threatened to disrupt administrative activities in the nation’s capital.

The order followed an application filed by the FCTA after days of mounting tension over unpaid promotion arrears and other statutory entitlements demanded by workers. Justice E. D. Subilim, who presided over the matter, granted the application and restrained the union from proceeding with the strike.

Specifically, the court prohibited JUAC from engaging in picketing, lockouts, road blockades or any action capable of shutting down government operations within the FCT.

The FCTA, through its legal team led by Dr. Ogwu Onoja, SAN, argued that the strike was not only paralysing government functions but also illegal under existing labour laws.

In a further legal push, the FCTA challenged the legitimacy of JUAC itself, questioning whether the body, described as an umbrella organisation, qualifies as a registered trade union with the legal standing to declare a strike under the Trade Disputes Act.

The defendants in the suit, JUAC President Rifkatu Iortyer and Secretary Abdullahi Umar Saleh, were absent from the court proceedings.

As a result, Justice Subilim approved substituted service, ordering that court processes be pasted at the JUAC office located at the Area 11 Secretariat and published in a national newspaper to ensure the defendants are duly notified of the proceedings.