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Local government

Bwari Area Council Workers to Resume Work after Three-Month Strike

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Bwari Area Council workers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are set to return to work on Thursday, after a three-month-long strike. The strike, which was prompted by unpaid minimum wage and welfare concerns, was called off after negotiations between the workers' union and the FCT Minister. The National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) had directed its members to sit at home since March 24, but the FCT Minister intervened to resolve the issue. Following the minister's intervention, NULGE suspended its strike on July 14, and workers are now expected to return to work.

Key Takeaways:

  • The three-month strike by Bwari Area Council workers was called off after negotiations between the workers' union and the FCT Minister.
  • The strike was prompted by unpaid minimum wage and welfare concerns, which had left workers with five months' arrears of wages.
  • The FCT Minister intervened to resolve the issue and ordered the use of 10% of the Area Councils' Internally Generated Revenue to pay off the three months' salary arrears owed local government workers.
  • A Special Committee was constituted by the Minister to harmonize all outstanding arrears within two weeks.
  • Workers are expected to resume work on Thursday after the office premises were fumigated in preparation for their return.
  • The FCT joint union of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and NULGE had directed its workers across the six area councils to sit at home on March 24.
  • However, the NUT suspended its action on July 9, after the FCT Minister's intervention, while NULGE followed suit on July 14.

Statistics:

  • The strike lasted for three months, from March 24 to July 14.
  • The workers received five months' arrears of wages that were in dispute.
  • The FCT Minister ordered the use of 10% of the Area Councils' Internally Generated Revenue to pay off the three months' salary arrears owed local government workers.
  • A Special Committee was constituted by the Minister to harmonize all outstanding arrears within two weeks.

Sources:

  • Emmanuel Ishaku, chairman, National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Bwari chapter, telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday.
  • NAN correspondent visited the council secretariat and observed that the gates of the complex had remained shut, with less activity around the area.
  • NULGE's communique issued at the end of the union's State Executive Council meeting held on Monday, at the union's State Secretariat in Gwagwalada.

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