The Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) has said that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has failed to meet most workers’ demands, as the union’s 21-day ultimatum expired on Friday.
Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES on Monday, the Chairperson of the union, Rifkatu Lortyer, said the workers’ grievances remain largely unaddressed, with less than half of their demands met since the three-day protest ended earlier this month.
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Mrs Lortyer noted that although some progress had been made since the protest was suspended earlier this month, the core problems that triggered the action persist.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how the FCTA workers under the aegis of JUAC shut the gate of the FCTA secretariat in late June.. The protest was staged from 30 June to 2 July, marking a full three-day shutdown over poor working conditions, poor welfare amongst other concerns.
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Workers’ grievances
Mrs Lortyer said the protest was prompted by longstanding neglect of workers’ rights and systemic operational failures.
She said their grievances include the absence of staff promotions since 2023; Non-payment of office running costs since December 2024; Five months’ unpaid wages for certain enforcement staff; unaddressed housing fund deductions without loan access; poor salary processing practices leading to persistent errors; and suspension of all training programmes since the current administration took office.
“As civil servants, we have staff who haven’t been promoted since 2023. Since the current minister came in, everything has been on hold. 2024 is gone, and 2025 is already midway, yet nothing has been said about it,” she said.
She also decried the lack of overhead funding, which she said has crippled day-to-day operations in many departments.
“You can’t buy paper or ink or pay cleaners. The cleaners and drivers are not on the payroll anymore. If you are employing them, it has to be outsourced, and that money comes from overhead, which has been stopped,” she added.
Salary errors, housing fund concerns
Mrs Lortyer also raised concerns over the collapse of the decentralised salary processing system.
According to her, the administration halted the individual agency pay-points and consolidated the system, leading to widespread errors in salary computation.
She said, “They are paying over 32,000 staff from one point, and there’s always a mistake. Even this June when we collected our salary, there were mistakes and complaints here and there.”
On housing, she criticised the continued deduction of workers’ salaries into the National Housing Fund (NHF) without any access to the benefits.
She added that the union can’t access the money and also cannot access loans. “Our money is just being debited into Federal Mortgage every month for just no cause. And even at retirement, many are not refunded.”
Though the NHF issue predates the current administration, Mrs Lortyer said JUAC holds the government accountable for failing to resolve it.
The chairperson also revealed that the enforcement officers of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and Social Development Secretariat were owed salaries for the better part of the year.
Partial progress after suspension
Following the suspension of the protest, Mrs Lortyer said the union initially rejected a meeting scheduled during the protest because it did not involve a full delegation or address the protesting crowd.
However, on 7 July, five days after the protest was called off, a roundtable was convened, and the meeting resulted in limited concessions by the administration.
“The enforcement squad for the AEPB has been paid for five months. They are only owing for June. Also, the promotion schedule has been released. Candidates for 2023 will write their CBT exams in August, and the others will write in November,” she confirmed.
She added that the FCTA also approved payment of two months’ overhead costs, adding that despite these efforts, 50 per cent of the union’s demands have not been met.
READ ALSO: FCTA set to build new hospitals, boost health workforce– Official
Minister silent as ultimatum expires
Despite some of this progress, the JUAC chairperson said the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has not directly addressed the union’s demands or made any public statement since the protests or their aftermath.
Mrs Lortyer said JUAC’s initial 21-day notice was sent on 4 July and expired on Friday, 25 July.
She stated that the union plans to submit a follow-up memo today, Monday, acknowledging partial progress but reiterating unresolved issues.
When asked about the union’s next move should the administration fail to meet outstanding demands, she declined to disclose details.
“That information should not be first released by you. When we take the next action, we will let you know,” she said.
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