The National Industrial Court of Nigeria, sitting in Abuja, has granted an interlocutory injunction filed by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the FCT Administration, compelling workers under the Joint Union Action Committee to suspend their on-going strike.
The administration had dragged the Chairman of the Joint Union Action Committee, Rifkatu Lortyer, and its Secretary, Abdullahi Umar Saleh, before the Industrial Court, seeking an order restraining the labour union and their agents from embarking strike picketing, or lockout.
Delivering his ruling on Tuesday, Justice Emmanuel Subilim held that although the matter before the court amounted to a trade dispute, stressing that the defendants have the right to embark on industrial action but such right was not absolute.
Justice Subilim ruled that the workers were prohibited from participating in a strike once a dispute had been referred to the National Industrial Court, adding that where such a strike was already ongoing, it must cease pending the determination of the case.
It against this backdrop, the court granted the order, restraining JUAC and it members from further embarking on any industrial action against the FCT Administration pending the determination of the substantive matter
Justice Subilim said the order shall remain in force, pending the determination of this suit and adjourned the matter to March 23, 2026, for hearing of the substantive suit.
