Caleb Onwe 
The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) sitting in Abuja on Thursday issued an Order of Interlocutory Injunction restraining members of the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) and other workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) from continuing the industrial action that has lasted four days.
Recall that FCTA workers, under the umbrella of JUAC, last week declared an indefinite strike to press demands on the administration over issues affecting their members.
The strike, which began on Monday, had crippled activities across offices of the FCTA.
Investigations revealed that the FCTA approached the court, seeking an order to halt the ongoing industrial action.
The application, filed by the FCTA’s legal team led by Dr. Ogwu Onoja, SAN, listed Rifkatu Iortyer and Abdullahi Umar Saleh, identified as the President and Secretary of JUAC respectively, as representatives of the striking workers. The FCTA argued that the strike was illegal and had paralysed the administration’s operations.
In a ruling delivered on Thursday, Hon. Justice Emmanuel Subilim granted the application filed by the FCT Minister and the FCTA, restraining the union officials and members from continuing the strike.
The court also prohibited the union leaders, their agents and members from embarking on strikes, picketing, lockouts, road blockades, or any action capable of disrupting or shutting down FCTA activities.
Justice Subilim held that the applicants had established a case warranting judicial intervention and consequently issued the injunction restraining the union and its members from any action that would cripple the administration’s operations.
Due to the absence of the defendants in court, the judge approved substituted service of court processes.
He ordered that the Originating Summons, which challenges the legality of the strike, be published in a national newspaper and pasted at the JUAC office located within the FCTA Secretariat on Kapital Street, Area 11, Garki, Abuja.
