After days of brinkmanship, organised labour and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike, have buried the hatchet, clearing the way for an immediate return to work by affected employees.
The breakthrough was conveyed in a circular dispatched on Tuesday to all affiliates of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Abuja.
The notice bore the joint signatures of the Secretary-General of the TUC, Mr Nuhu Toro, and the Acting General Secretary of the NLC, Mr Benson Upah.
According to the circular, the ceasefire followed a marathon peace meeting between labour leaders and the FCT minister, held at the prompting of the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the FCT, Sen. Mohammed Bomoi.
The talks, which began around 11:45 p.m. on Sunday, stretched deep into the night and finally drew the curtain at about 3:51 a.m. on Monday after what participants described as exhaustive deliberations.
Organised labour said all grievances tabled by members of the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC) were thoroughly ventilated during the engagement.
The circular added that the minister pledged mutual respect and continuous engagement with labour unions on all employment-related issues within the FCT.
Both sides also agreed that no worker would be punished for taking part in the strike and that all pending cases at the National Industrial Court would be withdrawn without delay.
In the wake of the accord, the NLC and TUC instructed all affected workers to down tools and resume duties immediately, a directive that applies across all their affiliates in the FCT Administration.
Labour leaders called for strict adherence to the directive in the interest of industrial peace, hailing the outcome as a show of good faith and a triumph of dialogue over discord.
They had earlier maintained that only meaningful talks and firm guarantees against victimisation would justify calling off the industrial action.
The strike, which began on Jan. 19, was triggered by lingering grievances bordering on welfare concerns and allegations of high-handedness.
