However, they accused Wike of instead resorting to threats against workers.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have declared full solidarity with striking workers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), accusing the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, of intimidation and bad-faith conduct amid an ongoing industrial dispute.
This is contained in a joint press statement issued on Wednesday and signed by the Acting General Secretary of the NLC, Comrade Benson Upah, and the Secretary General of the TUC, Comrade General N.A. Toro.
The labour unions condemned the “shabby treatment” of FCT workers by the minister, saying that the minister’s actions were reinforced by a “one-sided ruling” of the National Industrial Court in Abuja, which they said was aimed at breaking the strike and subjugating workers.
The unions said they had initially hoped that the court ruling would create room for dialogue and an amicable resolution between the FCT Administration and organised labour.
However, they accused Wike of instead resorting to threats against workers.
“As patently skewed as the ruling was, we had thought Mr Wike would use the window to reach out to organised labour for an amicable resolution of the issues, but he had boastfully resorted to threats against workers,” the statement read.
According to the NLC and TUC, the grievances of FCT workers are grave enough without what they described as added intimidation, humiliation, insults, and harassment.
The unions warned that workers must not be reduced to “slaves in their own country,” stressing their commitment to the rule of law and the protection of workers’ rights regardless of the status of the parties involved.
They urged the striking workers to remain resolute and maintain high morale in the face of what they called relentless threats, while clarifying that the industrial action remains lawful.
“Mr Wike obtained an order of interlocutory injunction against two individual union leaders and not against the striking trade unions. So the strike continues,” the unions said.
Beyond the dispute with the FCT Administration, the unions also sent a strong message to the judiciary.
While commending judges they described as upright and courageous in defending the weak and the poor, the NLC and TUC warned against what they termed “cash-and-carry judges,” whose conduct, they said, undermines public confidence in the justice system.
Such judges, the unions cautioned, would not be shielded from the consequences of their actions, invoking the late journalist Dele Giwa in a pointed reference to moral accountability.
The unions firmly declared that the strike would continue until the FCT Minister agrees to step down from what the unions described as a confrontational posture and engage in negotiations with workers.
“Workers, keep fighting for your rights. It is safer to die on your feet than live on your knees,” the unions said.