FCT Strike Continues as Teachers’ Unions Split Over Promotion Dispute
The indefinite strike by workers in the Federal Capital Territory continued on Thursday as teachers’ unions split over the industrial action triggered by disputes around promotion policy and other welfare concerns.
The Nigeria Labour Congress in the FCT had directed workers to begin the strike after talks over teachers’ promotion grievances failed to produce an agreement.
The FCT chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers remains aligned with the action.
But the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, ASUSS, has rejected the strike and directed secondary-school teachers and education officers under its structure to report for duty.
The split means the action should not be presented as one supported by all teachers in the territory.
ASUSS tells members to resume work
ASUSS said the strike was premature and argued that the dispute over promotion vacancies should be addressed through administrative engagement.
The union directed its members to continue normal duties.
That position contrasts with the NUT and NLC, which maintain that unresolved promotion and welfare grievances justify the industrial action.
The competing positions have created a divided labour front while disruption continues across parts of the FCT.
Promotion dispute remains unresolved
The NLC’s demands include removing the vacancy condition affecting teachers’ promotion, reconsidering eligible teachers excluded from the 2025 promotion examination and withdrawing disputed redeployment or demotion decisions.
Labour argues that the existing arrangement unfairly blocks qualified teachers from progressing even after meeting other promotion requirements.
The FCTA had responded before the strike, but the NLC said the response did not satisfactorily address the vacancy clause and related promotion grievances.
No fresh agreement resolving the dispute had been confirmed in the latest reporting reviewed by IDNN.
Disruption continues, but impact is uneven
The strike has disrupted schools and public services in parts of the FCT.
However, ASUSS’s directive for its members to resume duties means the effect is not uniform across the education sector.
The situation should therefore not be described as a total shutdown of every school or public institution.
For parents, pupils and workers, the immediate consequence is continued uncertainty over which services will operate while the dispute remains unresolved.
What happens next
The next accountability point is whether the FCTA and labour leaders can reach an agreement on the promotion framework and related grievances.
The split between NUT and ASUSS will also determine how deeply the industrial action affects schools as the strike continues.
For now, the verified position remains:
The FCT strike is active. NUT remains aligned with the action. ASUSS has rejected it and directed its members to resume work. The underlying promotion dispute remains unresolved.