The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Federal Capital Territory (FCT) council, has directed all workers in the six area councils to begin an indefinite strike from December 1.

The chairman of the council, Knabanyi Adalo, gave the directive in a statement in Abuja on Saturday.

Mr Adalo explained that this was in adherence to a communique by the NLC National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on November 8 in Port Harcourt, Rivers.

He said the NEC, in the communique, appealed to the councils’ chairmen to implement the N70,000 national minimum wage.

Mr Adalo, however, said the chairs had refused to respond to the demand for implementation of the minimum wage in their respective area councils.

He said that in response to this inaction, the organised labour in its state administrative council meeting on November 12 unanimously resolved to adhere strictly to the national directive to embark on an indefinite strike.

The NLC chair said this directive is subject to any government’s failure to implement the national minimum wage on or before the last day of November.

“The state administrative council also noted with deep frustration the persistent delay and outright refusal by the area councils’ chairmen to pay some pending entitlements to the workers, including the outstanding arrears of primary school teachers,” Mr Adalo said.

According to him, failure to implement the new national minimum wage is a gross violation of the law and a total disregard for the welfare and well-being of workers in the area councils.

“Therefore, all workers in the six area councils in FCT are hereby directed without hesitation to proceed on an indefinite strike beginning from December 1 until further directives,” he said.

(NAN)