Assessment of Collective Bargaining and Industrial Conflict Management in Nigerian Universities: A Study of Federal University of Technology, (FUT) Minna
Chapter One
Objective of the Study
The main objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of the collective bargaining as a strategy for industrial conflict management in Federal University Technology Minna. However, the intermediate objectives of the study include the following:
- To find out the causes of industrial conflicts between ASUU and Management inFederal University of Technology,
- To determine how effective collective bargaining as a strategy is in managing industrial conflicts in FUT,
- To find out whether the delay in compliance to collective agreement reached contribute significantly to industrial conflicts in FUT, Minna.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Introduction
The literature review is the crucial aspects of research enterprise. Obasi (1999) opined that, it enables a writer to obtain the state of the art or knowledge about development in given subject matter.
Nwogu, (1991) in his own contribution, succinctly observes, “that literature review is critical aspect of any research which a researcher cannot ignore”.
We can for a moment define literature review as a critical examination of the existing works in a field under study. The definition implies that the reviewer ought to be interested in discovering contributions made in the field as well as identifying the gap, which exist.
For clearly understanding of management of industrial conflict in Nigerian Universities, this review of literature is thematically organized under the following sub- headings;
Concept of Industrial Conflict Causes of Industrial Conflict
Effects of Industrial Conflict in Nigerian Universities Forms of Industrial Action
Mechanisms for the Resolution of Industrial Conflict Concept of Collective Bargaining
Functions of Collective Bargaining
Collective Bargaining Process and Industrial Relations Environment Appraisal of the Conflict Management/Collective Bargaining Technique.
Critiques of the works on Collective Bargaining Summary of the Literature Review
Conflicts are not necessarily good or bad but an evitable feature of organizational life and should be judge in terms of its effects, despite great care to try and avoid conflicts, it will still occur. Conflict will continue to emerge despite attempts by management to suppress it.
In this section, attempt is made to review relevant works of experts and scholars in relation to Industrial Conflicts and Collective Bargaining in Nigerian Universities with PUT, Minna as the focus.
Literature Review
Concept of Industrial Conflicts
Many discussion s of industrial conflicts simply refers to strikes (Fashoyin, 1980).Strikes are the most overt and the most significant aspect of industrial conflicts, But they are unfortunately only part of the phenomenon of conflicts. An off-quoted definition of industrial conflict is the one provided by Kornhanser, Dubin and Rose (1954).
… the total range of behaviour and attitudes that express opposition and divergent orientations between industrial owners and managers on the hand and working people and their organization on the other”.
This definition suggests that industrial conflict occur between group that is at the collective level, personality and other structural variables come into play. But it tends to restrict the phenomenon to what transpires between two opposing groups, owners/managers versus working people and their organizations. As many studies have revealed and is a common place, there is intra-management conflict just as conflicts do occur between and among groups of workers and their organization. Clearly then, there is also conflict at the levels of individuals often referred to as personality conflicts.
It is said that industrial conflicts may be organized or unorganized. Organized conflicts are likely to form part of conscious strategy to change the situation, which identified as the source of discontent. While unorganized conflicts, the worker respond to the situation in the only way open to him as individual that is by withdrawal from the source of discontent or individuals sabotage and rudeness. Such reaction, it has been argued, rarely derives from any calculative strategy; indeed unorganized expressions of conflicts are often not regarded as conflict by the persons in the situations (Otobo, 2000).
More often than not the attempt by management and employees to advance set objectives result in altercations which usually degenerate into strike action, demonstration, ill-feeling and general lack of requisite goodwill and commitment necessary in work situations. As a result, industrial conflict has become a common feature virtually every organization.
Admitting this universalism, Chandan, (1987), observes “the concept of conflict being an outcome of behaviour is an integral part of life” just l ike PUT, Minna and other Universities.
A study by Thomas and Schmidt, (1976) found that managers spend up to 20% of their time in dealing with conflict situation. In the intendment of this discourse, manager is not limited to the organizational heads but include all persons holding positions of trust in political system such as the members of the arms of government and others whom people are subordinate. As it concerns Nigeria, conflict, whether of ethnic, religious, community or organizational colourations are fast becoming an entrenched way of life with particular emphasis on organizational conflicts.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
In this chapter, the method and procedure used in conducting this research is explained. The chapter describes the research design, area of study, population of the study, sample size and sample techniques, sources of data; strengths and its weakness, instrument of data collection, method of data collection and method of data analysis.
Research Design
Survey research design was considered appropriate for this study. The study sought opinion of a sample of management staff and ASUU members of PUT, Minna in their perception or appraisal on the Effectiveness of Collective Bargaining and Industrial Conflict Management. Survey instrument was deemed the most appropriate for gathering the data required for the study, since survey centres on people, their beliefs, opinion, attitude, motivation and behaviours (Ali 1996).
Population of the Study
This study took particular interest in the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) members of the Federal University Technology, Minna. The total number of ASUU members (lecturers) is 1,038 and Management Staff (vice- chancellor, deputy vice-chancellor administration, deputy vice-chancellor academic, registrar, librarian and bursar) is 6.On the whole, a total of 1,044 constituted the total population of this study.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF RESULTS FOR QUESTIONNAIRE ADMINISTERED AND INTERVIEW
Introduction
The essence of data gathering in research is to amongst other things enable the researcher to present and analyze the data with a view of testing the formulated hypotheses based on the responses of the respondents. This therefore, justifies the fact that this chapter is central to every research endeavour.
Odoh (1995) submit that it transforms data collected from the field among each other on the basis of initial hypothetical position. Using the primary data collection instruments, both structure and unstructured questionnaires were design and administered .Similarly, an interview schedule was also designed and conducted to Management and ASUU members of PUT, Minna in the area of study for this study.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
Ultimately, research study is all about to discover the underlying cause(s) or principle(s) behind a phenomenon. For instance, the central focus of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the collective bargaining as a strategy for Industrial Conflict Management in Nigerian Universities. To achieve this Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna was chose as a case study. The time frame for this study was from 2001-2010, this period was characterised by series of industrial actions in our Universities. Data for this study was collected from both primary and secondary sources. Yamane’s sampling technique was used in arriving at the sample size of this study. The study used Mary Parker Follett Conflict Management Theory as its theoretical framework.
On the whole, this study has established that collective bargaining is the most effective strategy for industrial conflict management in Federal University of Technology, Minna. It further argued in this study that for any meaningful socio-economic development to occur governments must ensure stability in educational sector at levels. It is also the submission of this study that, collective bargaining as a conflict management strategy is central to any government and stakeholders in industrial relations that is set to ensure industrial harmony and stability in our educational system and extension the national development.
Conclusions
An attempt has been made in this study through a case study research to assess how collective bargaining can be employed as a strategy for industrial conflict management relations at the workplace generally. A critical look at the respondents’ views has amplydemonstrated that collective bargaining has gained prominent degree of recognition as an effective approach to conflict management and industrial harmony not only in the literature but also in practice. This agrees with Ubeku (1985) and Fashoyin (1992) findings that strike is destructive both to the employers, employees and the society at large, leading to decrease in productivity, loss of contract year, loss of profit resulting from loss of revenue, net earnings and idle equipment.
As such, every university could employ collective bargaining in managing industrial conflict as it create room for divergent interest of the actors to be put forward for discussion in a round table conference with the aim of integrating them or coming out with lasting solution to the conflict(s).
Also, this study revealed that the breach of collective agreement contributes significantly to industrial conflict in Federal University of Technology, Minna. This was because the majority of the respondents in the six (6) variables confirmed to this assertion.
Recommendations
It is in the light of above findings that this research study strongly recommends the following for implementation.
- Thegovernment, business organizations, employers of labour, employees, non- profit organizations and all stakeholders in industrial relations should endeavour to embrace collective bargaining, consultation with union representatives and negotiation between employers and employees as the machinery to manage industrial conflicts in their effort to promote industrial harmony, enhance employees performance, increase productivity and improve the living standard of the generality of the people.
- The management and employers of labour should always avoid delay in compliance to collective agreement reached with the union
- The management of the Federal University of Technology, Minna should ensurethat they adequately consult their lecturers on any issues that affect them and also to try as much as possible to improve the welfare their employees by given them their entitlement as at when
- The management in order to maintain industrial harmony should ensure that they implement collective agreement reached to the
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Text Books
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