FCTA Workers Announce Indefinite Strike From Monday Over Unresolved Grievances
Workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) have announced an indefinite strike beginning at midnight on Monday, January 19, 2026, over what they describe as prolonged neglect of workers’ welfare and unresolved labour issues.
The decision was taken by the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC), which said the strike would involve all categories of staff, including employees of the College of Education, Zuba, as well as senior secondary schools across the FCT.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Friday, FCT JUAC President, Rifkatu Iortyer, accused the FCTA management of breaching trust through inaction, poor engagement and policies she said have deliberately demoralised workers.
In an address titled “A Plethora of Festering Issues,” Iortyer outlined 11 key grievances, alleging financial mismanagement, systemic failures and bad faith by the administration. Chief among the complaints is the alleged non-remittance of pension and National Housing Fund (NHF) deductions, which the union described as a serious threat to workers’ future security.
The union also demanded the immediate removal of retired directors and permanent secretaries, describing the extension of their tenure as a violation of Public Service Rules.
Iortyer further criticised the outcome of the recent promotion exercise, in which only about 2,000 staff were promoted out of more than 7,000 who participated. She alleged that the exercise was deliberately structured to fail many workers in order to avoid paying promotion arrears.
Other issues raised include unpaid promotion arrears, poor working conditions, intimidation of staff, inadequate training opportunities and the non-payment of enforcement officers of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB).
“We demand immediate action on these issues. We will not be silenced by inaction,” Iortyer said, declaring the commencement of an indefinite strike from Monday.
The strike is expected to disrupt activities across the FCTA secretariat, its departments and agencies. As of the time of filing this report, the FCTA management had yet to issue an official response to the strike notice.
