ABSTRACT
The influence of strike action on employee’s performance and
productivity. Strike generally could be defined as the refusal to work
by employees of an establishment to protest from certain inadequacies in
their conditions of service. Strike is a work stoppage caused by mass
refusal of employee to work. To solve this research problem, the workers
should be given their pride of place and be put in the “hall of fames”
because the workers are the light house of the world who should be given
their salaries promptly, given them incentives, make sure they are
satisfied job-wise so as to be more dedicated thereby producing good
giants who will uplift the tone of the nation within and outside the
nation. The society itself could solve this contemporary problem of
strikes, the financial gain is not coming in thousand; frustration is
being meted to the workers from the citizenry. The design of the study
used for this study was survey design. The population put together is
12,000 and the sample size is 746.
The instrument used for data collection is the questionnaire and
interview. The instrument for data analysis is Chi-square method of
testing of hypothesis and simple percentages of analyzing the tables.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Strike generally could be defined as the refusal to work by employees
of an establishment to protest for certain inadequacies in their
conditions of service.
Strike is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to
work. Strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances.
In most countries, they were quickly made illegal as factory owners
hand political power than workers. Most Western countries partially
legalized striking in the 19th or ea 20th centuries.
Strikes are sometimes used to put pressure on government to change
policies. It will also be noted that strike is not peculiar to
universities alone but to other organizations or pressure groups such
as:
- Nigeria labour Congress (NLC)
- Nigeria Bar Association (NBA)
- Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ)
- Nigeria Medical Association (NMA)
Higher Institutions that are liable to embank on strike actions include:-
- The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUNU)
- The National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS)
- The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP)
- The Academic Staff Union of College of Education etc
When strike occurs in an organization, workers suffer most and in
this way, the Nigeria working system has been thoroughly destroyed.
There is no way to remedy this situation apart from the individual employees concerned to stand up and demand for their right.
Although, strike may create temporary difficulties for workers in the
sense that it will stop their work and without their work, they won`t
earn a living. this situation of our country Nigeria will not be fully
developed because they will be back of or less production because of the
strike action management has not put its priorities right. it is in
protest of these misplaced priorities and inadequacies that these
management and Nigeria union of worker. ie the Nigeria labour congress
(NLC).
In most cases, the employers and the employees would have explored
all avenues for dialogue and strike becomes the last option for the
settlement of disputes.
Before the introduction of strike among Nigeria worker in the years
1963 by PA Imodu, the authorities have always worked in peace and
harmony with their privilege to work as an employee in any organization
because they always had great expectations both the senior and the
junior staff worked happily together as members of the same community
and guided by a sense of mission to promote and preserve their working
performance.
Today, the issue of strike in our country has been so rampant that
the government will have to do something urgently so as not to
Jeopardize the interest of the employees on how to improve their
performance and productivity in their place of work. But before the
emergence of union, there had been spontaneous strike and protests
against poor conditions of work in several African countries.
In the strike that took place in sierra-leane in 1874. In Senegal,
rail road workers had frequently engaged in sporadic strikes against the
dehumanizing conditions of work.
In practice, however, it has been difficult to separate strike from
other forms of expression of industrial dispute as employers lock out
workers and workers them-selves embank on strike action. it is or useful
to view both phenomena as part and parcel of the conflict situation,
not as opposite. rarely does a strike occur over a single issue for an
obvious cause may be linked with several others issues that are not
immediately apparent to the observation that have caused
dis-satisfaction because solutions to them have been long in coming. The
actual occurrence of a strike depends on several factors including
prevailing circumstance. This also goes to show that few strikes occur
spontaneously especially as there is no way of guaranteeing that a
strike action instead of other forms of strike action would be decided
upon by worker involved.
1.2 BRIFY HISTORY OF CASE STUDY
The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to UNN, is a Federal
University located in Nuskka, Enugu State, Nigeria. Founded in 1955 and
formally opened on 7th October 1960, the University of Nigeria has four
campuses-Nuskka, Enugu and Ituku-OzallaLocated in Enugu State and one in
Aba, Abia State Nigeria.
The University of Nigeria was the first full fledges indigenous and
first autonomous educational system. it is the first land-grant
university in African and one of the five elite universities in the
country. The university has 15 faculties and 102 academic departments.
The university offers 211 undergraduate programmers and 82 postgraduate
programmers.
The University celebrated its 50th anniversary in October 2010.
A law to establish a university in the Eastern Region of Nigeria was
passed on may 18, 1955 while that date marks the formal beginning of the
history of the university of Nigeria, the enactment of this legislation
by several Nigeria leaders, and inspired particularly by then premier
of the Eastern Region, Dr. Nnamdi
Azikwe. One of the first steps taken by Eastern Nigeria Government
towards the implementation of its commitment was an invitation to both
the United States of American and the United Kingdom to send advisers to
help in the planning of physical structures and educational aspects of
the proposed university.
Under the joint auspices of the inter overseas and the international Education Administration (now the United States
Agency for international the Development). J.W. Cook, Vice Chancellor of the University of Exacter, Dr. John A Hannah,
President of Michigan state university and Dr. Glen L. Taggart, Dean
of International programmers at the same university came to Nigeria in
1958. The team surveyed the site at Nsukka, and extensively investigated
a great variety of factors pertinent to the establishment of a new
university.
The result of their efforts were contained in a while paper issued by the Eastern Nigeria Government on 30 November 1958.
They had recommended “that the development of the University of
Nigeria based upon the concept of service to problems and needs of
Nigeria is a desirable project and one that should receive support from
any source which could help to make it a sound Endeavour”.
They further recommended that a provisional council be
established to “draw upon the technical and consultative
Resource available throughout the world to help in planning the
institution” the provisional council authorized by the Eastern Nigeria
legislature, was appointed by the Governor in council in April 1959, and
given necessary financial and administrative powers to build a sound
university. it reflected the spirit of international co-operation which
has given birth to the institution. it consisted of Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe.
Dr. T. Olawale Elias and Dr. Okechukw Ikejiani from the federation of
Nigeria, J.S. Fulton from the United Kingdom, Dr. Marguertu Cartwright
and Dr. Eldon Lee Jonson from the United State of American.
The university was formally opened on 7th October 1960, as the Celebrations in the Eastern Region. her Royal Highness
Princess Alexandra of Kent, represent HER Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11
at the Nigeria independence celebrations performed the opening
ceremonies and laid the foundation stone of one of the university`s
early buildings.
Classes began on 17 October 1960 with an enrollment off 220 students
and 13 members of the academic staff other opening convocation addresses
were delivered by the chairman of the provisional council, Dr. Nnamdi
Azikwe, the first president of the federation of Nigeria and by Dr. John
A. Hannah, president of Michigan State University, U.S.A.
The university was fully autonomous, with the power to grant its own
degree technology speaking, therefore, it become the first fully-fledge
university in Nigeria since Ibadan was still at that time a university.
It also became the first university established by a Nigeria Regional
Government.
1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The Influence of strike action on employee`s performance and
productivity poses serious problems both on management and lecturer and
those problems sought to be solved by the end of this research study and
they include, the causes of strike action, how workers performance and
productivity could be increased, ways in which strike actions could be
eradicated and dose strike action demoralize workers or motivate them.
1.4 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY.
The issue of strike by organization has been so rampant that the
government will have to do something urgently about this situation, so
as not Jeopardize the existence of the organization.
Therefore, the objective of this study includes:-
- To find out whether strike influence the employee performance in an organization.
- To find out whether delay in payment employees salaries is the major cause of strike in an organization.
- To find out how government reach towards the cause of strike in an organization.
- To find out how the organization, employers and employees respond either positively or negatively to strikes.
- To prefer practical solution to the problems.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This empirical study will be important to be researcher since it is a
partial requirement for the award of Bachelor of Science in Industrial
Relations and personnel Management. Also this research work will be the
University of Nigeria, Nsukka. it will also be beneficial to other
universities within Nigeria and potential and future researchers on the
issue of strike action in employee`s productivity and performance.
The study will identify how to make management have a re-think or
reconsider their plea. How strike action is carried out so as to
increase the welfare or pay of workers and how employed embark on strike
so as to gain grounds in the organization.
1.6. SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of this study focuses on the influence of strike action on
employee‟s performance and productivity, the cause of strike action and
the necessary measure to reduce or avoid strike action. In this scope we
will be able to search and find out how the strike action affect the
performance and productively of workers in university of Nigeria Nsukka.
The research was also limited by time and financial constraints, as
the researcher also affected by restriction of movement by the
institution authority. The researcher did not also make use of so many
books that are meant to be the library because there are no enough books
related to any topic in the library.
This research questions is based on the influence of strike action on employee‟s performance and productivity.
- To what extent dose strike action influence employee performance and productivity in an organization.
- To what extend does delay on the payment of workers salaries cause strike in am organization.
- To what extend does the management employer and employee respond to strike action.
- To what extend does the government respond to the demands strike actions
- What is the practical solution to the problem of strikes in the University of Nigeria Nsukka?
1.9 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
- There is significant influence of strike action on employee performance Productivity and in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka
- Strike action erupts as a result of delay in payment of workers salaries and other entitlement.
- There is significant Influence of strike action on the reactions of government.
1.10 THORITICAL FRAMWORK
Strike generally could be defined as the refusal to work by employee
of an establishment to protect for certain inadequacies in their
conditions of services. Strike usually takes place in response to
employee‟s grievance. We have different theories in strike and they are
unitary perspectives, classical perspective, integrationist perspective
and pluralistic perspective all those are involutes in the strike
theories but the pluralistic perspective it say “if one however accepts
the views of social writer and the idea of a pluralistic approach to
work organization, then conflict among competing subgroups will be seen
as an inherent feature of structure of the organization. The pluralistic
manager is more likely to accept that conflict in organization requires
careful handling and attempts to reconcile rival interest
1.10 DEFINITION OF TERMS
STRIKE: An organized refusal to work by employees of a company.
INFLUENCE: The power to produce effects, especially Indirectly or
through an intermediary, the condition of being affected power to change
a person`s way of life.
JOB SATISFACTION: Remuneration is a reward. It is better payment and
fringe benefits. The chief characteristics of workers were that economic
self interest. Michael white (1980) discovered that remuneration
(money) is a good and an incentive. Remuneration is a source of
satisfaction, is a standard companion. so remuneration is a source of
material goods stimulus to greater production.