The Federal Capital Territory chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) has rejected the stay-at-home directive issued to teachers following the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) declaration of an indefinite strike in the FCT.

ASUSS directed secondary school teachers and education officers to report for their normal duties, insisting that students should not bear the consequences of an unresolved labour dispute.

The union announced its position on Wednesday, October 7, following an emergency meeting of its State Executive Council to consider the industrial action announced by the NLC and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) FCT Wing.

The NLC had commenced an indefinite strike across the FCT after the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to the FCT Administration over unresolved issues involving teachers’ promotion and career progression.

Among the labour demands is the removal of the requirement for available vacancies before FCT teachers can be promoted. The NLC has argued that the policy has contributed to prolonged career stagnation among teachers.

The labour body is also demanding that teachers who became eligible for promotion in 2025 be allowed to sit for their promotion examination, alongside other demands relating to the redeployment of education directors and the management of education boards.

ASUSS, however, maintains that the issues can be addressed through administrative engagement rather than industrial action.

On the vacancy requirement, the union argued that the provision forms part of the Public Service Rules governing establishment control and financial planning. It said any changes to the career structure should be handled through dialogue with the relevant authorities.

The union also said arrangements had been made for the 2025 promotion exercise to run alongside the 2026 promotion cycle under the FCT Civil Service Commission.

Regarding the redeployment of education agency directors, ASUSS maintained that such decisions fall within the administrative powers of management and are intended to ensure proper functioning of the public service.

The teachers’ union expressed concern that the strike could interfere with the scheduled promotion examinations for eligible FCT education officers.

ASUSS therefore directed its members to report to work and participate in the relevant assessments according to the approved timetable.

It also appealed to parents and guardians across the FCT to send their children and wards to school, assuring them that academic and administrative activities should continue.

The development has created a split in the labour response to the FCT dispute, with the NLC calling for a wider shutdown while ASUSS is urging secondary-school teachers to remain at work.

The NLC maintains that its action is necessary to force the FCT Administration to address what it considers unresolved issues affecting teachers’ career progression and welfare. The FCT Administration, meanwhile, has previously indicated that steps had been taken on some of the concerns raised by organised labour.

For now, the competing directives leave teachers, schools and parents facing uncertainty over how academic activities will proceed across the territory as the labour dispute continues.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia