The National Industrial Court sitting in Abuja has fixed Tuesday, January 27, to deliver its ruling on an application seeking to restrain workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) from continuing their ongoing strike.
Justice Emmanuel Subilim adjourned the matter after hearing arguments from counsel representing both parties.
The suit was instituted by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who is asking the court to compel the striking workers to resume work.
The industrial action was embarked upon by FCTA workers over unresolved welfare issues, including five months of unpaid salaries, long-outstanding promotion arrears, and poor working conditions.
In the suit, the FCT Minister and the FCTA are listed as claimants, while the President and Secretary of the Joint Union Action Congress (JUAC), Rifkatu Iortyer and Abdullahi Saleh, are named as defendants.
Counsel to the defendants, Maxwell Okpara, urged the court to join the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) as parties to the suit, arguing that their inclusion would ensure any court order is binding on them.
However, counsel to the FCT Minister, James Onoja, opposed the application, insisting that the suit was properly constituted against the two defendants alone, noting that they are not registered under the Trade Union Act.
Onoja urged the court to grant the application and order the striking workers to return to work, arguing that the industrial action has crippled essential services in the Federal Capital Territory.
Ruling on the joinder application, Justice Subilim held that since the claimants elected to sue only the two defendants, the court could not compel them to add additional parties.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter to January 27 for ruling on the application seeking to restrain the ongoing strike.
