CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
OF THE STUDY
The early 70’s saw and witnesses the end of political
crisis and at its time organized labour which was put into the coffin during
the civil war was once released free its dilemma of whether or not to forget
industrial action in the life rest national security. With the civil war,
labour militate its demand for improvement in the wage structure and other
condition of employment throughout the country. Workers protest coupled with
the government growing realization of the poor economic states of the working class
ultimately led to the establishment of certain commission like the Adebo
commission.
Since 1970
to the present time, workers demand have increased could not satisfy the needs
of the employees in the faces of the economics recession which employees force
management to access to their demand. In this study, however, we are going to
examine the cause of strike, its consequences and effectiveness as a weapon of
trade union in achieving their aims. Mention of course would briefly be make of
the history and development of trade unionism in Nigeria.
Strike as
defined by section 37 (1) of trade dispute Act No 7, 1976 is a cessation of
work by a body of employed persons acting in combination or a concerned refusal
under a common understanding of any number of employed persons to continue to
work for an employer inconsequence of a dispute, done as a means of compelling
their employer on any person or body persons employed to aid other workers.
As its
stand, that force, strike is one word that torn the flesh of management: each
time as strike occurs, substantial out is lost during the first general strike
of 1945, 1993 (Asu strike Jan. 2000 (NLC strike) when the government disagreed
with civil servant wages and allowances about thirty working day were lost.
Output dropped substantial, as a re-question government had to upgrade salaries in a bid to resolve between
1980, 82, 1993 and 1999 to zoo respectively there was a spot of industrial and trade disputes and work stoppages in the
country requiting in a high loss in man hours and productivity. This spate of
industrial unrest was evidently result of lack of adequate attention to the
human labour in business organization. There has been giant sagging the fact
that a human factor is of paramount importance in industry, commercial and the
civil service.
The
management pre-occupation with maximizing profit has always made them to pay
little or no attention to the human factor in the organization. This relegation
of the human factors to the background by management has been a serious but
latent cause of increase in strike action on with its resultant consequences.
It is the purpose of this work to probe into this and acquaint the management
with the tools for combating this hydra headed monster.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The
unstable industrial related climate in Nigeria, just within the last decade has
resulted in all time record of cost working hours, unprecedented work stoppages
as a result of strike.
In the
first six months of the year 1982, Nigeria lost a total of 4, 598 man-hours,
because of strike actions by workers. This represented a 342% increase in the
five cost during the first half of 1959 and is even more than 100% higher than
the 2,244, 984 man-hours. Besides these
alarming strike occurrence. There are many others in the hundred of
reported officially. Four is against this background that this research effort
is consummated, with the definite mission of providing answers to the following
questions:
1. Are such trade
disputes and industrial unrest as a rest of unsettled grievance.
2. What chances exit for handling the
grievance.
3. If strike occurs, what are the procedures
for setting them.
4. Is strike the only effective means of
achieving union aims.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is to probe into the
effectiveness of strike actions as a means of achieving union aims from
management. The study is based on a case study of the Nigeria union of teachers
(NUT) Enugu state.
Precisely,
the study is focused on the following
issues, tools for achieving union demand from management strike as a major tool
on achieving union aim the effectiveness of strike action in achieving union
aim measured against the regular occurrence of strike actions. The
recommendations which will be based mainly on the findings of this research
will be if implemented straighten the effectiveness of strike action as means
of achieving union aims. If on the other hand the study suggest a better way of
achieving union aims than strike then of cause that mentioned will be recommended.
1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of the study to cover the general affairs of the
union as regards to the strengths, weakness, opportunity and threat in which
the research is based on Nigeria union of teachers Enugu.
The
research is conducted to cover and improve the management of the organization
on towards Nigeria union of teachers generally. The research is conducted to
cover and improve the management of the organization on towards Nigeria union
of teachers generally.
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTION
1. What
benefits have you derived by belonging to union.
2.
Do you think you should achieve your aim even in a
non-unionized group?
3. Has strike
action helped your union to obtain its demand from management?
4. What do you
consider to be the most effective way of setting a strike action when it
occurs?
5. What
are the effect of strike action on achieving economic growth.
1.6 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
Ho: Strike action
does not help in achieving union aims.
Hi: Strike action
help in achieving union aims.
Ho: Strike action
discourages economic growth.
Hi: Strike action
encourages economic growth.
Ho: Constitutionally
laid down procedure is not the most effective means of setting action.
Hi: Constitutionally
laid down procedure is the most effective means of setting action.
1.7
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study is intended to help union members of any
established organization either public or private toward realizing the
importance of well organized strike action that will bring about growth on the
organization. It also will help government parastatals towards solving employee
grievances and strike action. Teachers in particular will benefit immensely for
this work as Nigeria union of teachers was used as the case study. It will help
them to know their legitimate rights as employees and how to institute strike
as a tool of compelling government to
implement certain welfare practices that will boost their moral towards work.
In Nigeria
of today, both private and public organization are facing a lot of problems
owing to strike action by workers or employees. This has inevitably rescued to
low productivity in most firms and to some it has been of great employer as
confusion is always the resultant effect, this work will therefore be of great
important to the employees and employers on the private sector of the
economy. Student who want to do a
further research on this topic can also benefits from this study. Even during
assignment and research findings any student that lays his or her hand in this
work will improve academically.
1.8 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
It is
contact that in a research study like this, it is always difficult to cover all
possible grounds one would wish to. There are a number of factors which
constitute impediment to this accomplishment. First among these factors is
time, the short period that is required to accomplish and submit this work,
coupled with the time spent on other courses gave me the highest trouble and
hindered me to an extent a more elaborate search into the study.
Again,
the data gathering for writing this
research paper was being carried on at this time, the Nigeria union of teachers
is facing a hard time of non-payment of
salaries. This created a great problem of administering the questionnaire to
the respondents, thus it was not possible to collect as much information as one
had wished.
Finally,
finance was my greatest constraints thus it was not possible for me to get at
many schools so as to get a more valid information nevertheless, the research
purpose were moderately accomplished not in the least be cause of these
problems but largely in spite of them.
1.9 DEFINITIONS OF TERMS
There are some terms that is being used here in this work
that I will like to explain more 80 as to enable every body that comes across
this work to understand it better.
1. STRIKE- I
is a cessation of work by a body of employed persons acting in combination or a
concerned refusal under a common understanding of any number of employed
persons to continue to work for an employer in consequence of a dispute done as
a means of compelling their employer on any person or body of persons employed
to aid other workers.
2. GRIEVANCE- This means real or imagined case for compliant or protest.
3. TRADE DISPUTE- It means debating, arguing and quarreling in words when buying
and selling of goods or services, exchange of goods for money or other goods.
4. ECONOMIC GROWTH- It means designed to give a profit in the
science of production distribution and consumption of goods condition of a
country as to material prosperity.
REFERENCES
John U. Ozo Et Al (1999) Introduction to Project Writing
for Business and Financial Studies Enugu Sunny
Enterprises.
T.M Yusuf (1982), The Nigeria Experience in the Dynamics
of Industrial Relations, Ibadan University Press
Limited.
Studies in
Personnel Policies (1961) The National Industrial Conference Board.