Introduction
1.1 Background Of The Study
An organisation can achieve its objectives only if its members cooperate and coordinate their efforts toward a common goal. For this to occur, everyone must subordinate a degree of individual and personal freedom to the organisation. Such behaviour is not achieved, however without a struggle and therefore the possibility of conflict and conflict situations.
Life generally is full of conflict. Conflict cannot be ruled out in people’s life. Conflicts are found in families, organistions, nations, market places and even along the streets.
Conflict is widely seen as one of the persistent problems in organisational life. The fact of its centrality is indicated by the fact that even in organisations where it appears to have been eliminated like Japanese firms and ‘high tech’ companies, there still exists high level of work pressure and a tendency for conflict and tensions to be internalized within employees, rather than being expressed as open disputes between management/leadership and the worker (Eze, 1997). Thus, people who claim that conflict can be eliminated misunderstand how organisations work.
A conflict arises within an organisation when one or more of its members (individuals, groups or network of groups) covertly or overtly oppose another member or group. Their goals, desire and interests are not only unharmonious; they may also be incompatible (Akpala, 1990).
The history of the colonial state and industrial conflicts and industrial relations dates back to the period of the European rivalries before and during the 1884/85 Berlin West African Conference, which consequently led to the well known scramble for African territories. Thus in 1860 and 1910 Lagos was cease by Britain, by 1862 most of Africa and Nigeria were in military occupation following the pacification exercise (Otobo, 1992). As a result of this, indigenous political authorities lost their sovereignties and were subjected to colonial administration. This occupation greatly accelerated the creation of Nigeria Wage Labour Force and Conflicts. Thereafter as a result of the conscription of workers to be engaged in the construction of infrastructural facilities mostly in the building of houses, construction of roads, bridges, ports, railways and other works of public importance (Ejiofor and Aniagbo, 1984).
The colonial Industrial Relations policies in Nigeria implied the attempt by the colonial administration to regulate employment and establish control over work processes. The creation of Wage Labour Force was to meet the commercial needs of both local and European interest. The creation of Labour Force and the creation of various indigenous communities to official policies along with the activities of the private employers and also the pressure from the White Hall in London instigated the colonial government to promulgate colonial labour policies for dealing with employers operating in various communities in the colonies, and hence the development of industries relations and conflicts management techniques in the colonial territories.
The basis of the colonial state labour policies was laid after Lagos became a colony in 1900. Labour became a reserved problem to the colonial office in several ways. As a result of widespread slave trading which made it difficult to create a labour market and to develop a stable labour force to secure a ready market for imported consumer goods and wares to generate conditions favourable for colonial trade and other commercial activities of increasing importance to both the metropolitan business circle and the European national rivalries.
Military approach was adopted for the conscription of people into labour gangs, army platoons and battalions (Akpala, 1990). The immediate objective was for the construction of roads and rail lines. This class of labour was officially regarded as casual, temporary with no wage paid; accommodation was not provided, work was regarded as a duty despite element of compulsion in the recruitment of labourers, such labourers were expected to return to their houses at the end of the day. Such a system could not cope with laying of lines across the country, and other activities for the colonial government across the far uninhabited land. This tendency produced mass desertions, agitation and often open revolt which forced the colonial government into the introduction of wages, such wages were too low but upsetting to the colonial officials who had grown used to utilizing forced indigenous labour without pay. This was the genesis of labour conflict in the colonial labour circle Halimatu (2002) also stated that little was known about specific policies of consultation or negotiation inside and outside the public administration at the time of such processes as existed seemed to have been related with European affairs whose condition of service and terms were settled by the council office in London.
This condition contrasted sharply with those of the indigenous African public servants. Ubeku (1975) accounts that the procedures adopted surprisingly sophisticated in the colonial territory suited the colonial officials as it was intensively administered, was the beginning source of labour conflict in the colony.
Other factors that promoted labour conflict are the issues of how the general population of Africans lived in slums, including the few African civil servants, thus differentials in housing policy, fringe benefits that provide strong grounds for agitation by the press, professional classes and the nationalist of every kind between the colonial officials, government, Africans and nationalist.
The most celebrated case was the 1891 strike by the staff of the Public Works Department (PWD) whose salary was unceremoniously slashed over night by the Governor who considered the low wage still high (Ubeku, 1975). This low wages were systematically rationalized in respect of labourers and forced labour, when mass desertions, compelled private and state authorities to pay token wages.
Labour conflict began as communal protests by temporary stoppages of work embarked upon by identified group of workers, such as the labourers.
Fajana (1995) noted that these strikes escalated and generalized into African protest against colonial administration and European private employers; for instance, the eminent strikes of 1897 and 1947 by employees of United African Company in Burutu. In 1945 local coal miners’ protests in Enugu were good examples. Another type of conflict resulted from the nature of work and manner of recruitment of labour to the highhandedness of physical supervision, which was induced by the forced labour policy all over the colony.
Labour conflict moved from 30 cases in 1956/57 to 49 cases in 1957/58 and further to 53 in 1958/59 with corresponding increase in loss of resources (Imaga, 1990). Demachi (1989) contends that disputes between 1955/56 and 1958/59 led to the loss of a total of 974, 095 man-days to strike in Nigeria.
In 1982, a total of 8,221, 761man days were lost to strikes involving 756,394 workers. Respectively, Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) went on strike for four and six months in 1993 and 1994 to push government to implement the 1992 ASUU Federal Government Agreement (Egbokhare, 2001).
Industrial conflict in Nigerian tertiary institutions are not peculiar to Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu but such that bedeviled the management and administrative set up of other tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
These problems were envisaged at University of Nigeria Nsukka between the management and students over increase in school fees from 2009-2010, Federal Polytechnic, Nekede 2001-2002 between the Student Union Government and Management on the welfare of students and Federal Polytechnic, Idah 2002-2004 over the issue of staff welfare and so on.
In the Institute of Management and Technology Enugu, we discovered during the pilot study that some of the problems of industrial conflicts, which was discussed verbally by the staff of the institution
were as follows:
- State interference in education
- Overbearing influence of government in the appointment of Rector and Council Chairman and management interference in union activities.
These and other allied factors culminated into investigating the above problems.
1.2 Statement Of The Problem
Tertiary institutions are formal organizations with special goals of channeling and shaping the destiny of mankind. Through teaching, research and public service (Obani, 1995), they produce individuals who through their intellectual contributions to society better the lots of mankind (Federal Government of Nigeria, 2000). These goals are accomplished through human cooperative action (Onah, 2005), between management and staff (academic and non-academic). Some shared and opposed interests are found when workers and management work together. Those shared enhance industrial harmony and peace, while those opposed generate industrial conflict (Crouch, 1977). Differences between workers and management in terms of goals, needs, talents, skills, status, competencies, perception, aggressiveness and other diverse features of members of organization makes conflict inevitable (Umoren, 2001, Jaja and Umezuruike, 2004).
The failure in management is attributable to poor management of industrial conflicts within the organization. We are in ever-changing economic, technology, social and political era in which conflict has become inevitable in a dynamic organization.
Change and economic growth bring opportunity but they also bring risk particularly in an era of world wide rivalry for market resources and influence.
In Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu, the causes of industrial conflict is as a result of non-payment of salaries and fringe benefits as and when due, strikes, lay-offs, denial of promotion, dispute settlement procedures and so on. It is therefore the task of management and labour to minimize risk involved in conflicts while taking advantage of the opportunities they provide.
The central questions that will, therefore forms, the basis of this study are:
- What are the immediate causes of poor management approach on industrial conflict between the workers (labour) and management (organisation) in Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu?
- How were the conflicts managed by the labour on one hand and the management on the other hand?
- To what extent has the management of these conflicts affected the morale of workers needed in enhancing their performances?
Attempts to provide answers to these questions and suggest measures for possible solutions for any future conflicts constitute the basic research problems of the study.
1.3 Objectives Of The Study
The general objective of this study is to find out how industrial conflicts are managed in Nigerian tertiary institutions with emphasis on Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu.
The specific objectives of the study are, therefore:
- To examine the causes of industrial conflict between the workers and management in the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu.
To appraise the management of conflict as it affect the morale of workers. - To investigate how conflicts are managed between the two bodies-labour and management;
- To suggest remedies to the problems emanating from the research findings and make appropriate recommendations.
1.4 Hypotheses
This research work was directed toward testing of the following hypotheses. Therefore, the following hypotheses were formulated to guide the study;
Hypothesis I
- Ho: The management of labour conflicts in the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu is not as a result of the management’s refusal to meet up with the workers welfare needs.
- Hi: The management of labour conflicts in the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu is as a result of the management’s refusal to meet up with the workers welfare needs.
Hypothesis II
- Ho: The labour leaders and top management’s handling of the labour-management conflicts do not reduce conflicts.
- Hi: The labour leaders and top management’s handling of the labour-management conflicts reduces conflicts.
Hypothesis III
- Ho: Improper management of conflicts does not result to low morale of the workers.
- Hi: Improper management of conflicts result to low morale of the workers.
1.5 Significance Of The Study
With the rising wave of industrial conflicts in the country in recent times and its attendant negative effects, an in-dept study of the problems becomes necessary. It is therefore hoped that the results of the study will have the potentiality of redirecting management’s attention to some of its rigid features with a view to correcting some of its inherent deficiencies in them, which contributed to and constituted the labour/management conflicts in the study area.
The evaluation of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in relation to its employers will in essence be useful, as it will reveal areas of weaknesses that should be improved as well as areas of power or strength that should be encouraged for effective and efficient management of an impending danger that may result to conflicts in the areas of work.
The findings and recommendations of the study will also be significant as they will contribute and generate further research interest in the areas of labour/management conflicts and conflicts as a whole.
Finally, an effective research into this area of work and consequent prescriptions for the problems that may be made in the research findings will not only improve the proper handling of industrial conflicts in the federation, but will also help to reduce the numerous problems which create the gap between labour and the management in carrying out their responsibilities. It will also stimulate further researches into conflict and its management not only in tertiary institutions but also in other government and non-governmental organizations.
1.6 Theoretical Framework
Kaplan, (1980) contends that a theory is a systematically organized knowledge of varying levels of generalization with a view to the eventual specification or relationships among empirical tests.
According to him, the test of a theory is the degree to which its formulation seems congruent with our own perception of the real world situation. Therefore a theory equips us with a way of looking at reality.
In the light of the forgoing, we can define theoretical framework as a broad umbrella made up of theoretical postulations (theories, perspective, models or paradigms) that researchers or writers can utilize as guides for understanding or analyzing a reality or phenomenon under study. For the purpose of this study, the general systems approach was adopted. Systems analysis is a part of the behaviouralist movement in political science, which had been growing in various America universities, starting with the University of Chicago-as a reaction to the traditionalist approach. It was in this search for theory-building that scholars like David Easton, Ludwig Von Bertanaffy, a Biologist, Morton, Kaplan, Karl Deutsch, Stanley Holfmann, Charles McClelland to quote a few developed the system model (Verma, 1975). System theory was popularized in political science by David Easton (a Political Scientist). In recent times, the systems theory has become as increasingly useful framework for thinking about organizations and managerial functions. Organizations, like the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu are open systems with certain boundaries that differentiate it from other systems. It must constantly receive multitude of inputs from its external environment (people, form, input, information) in order to achieve its objectives.
Therefore, to survive and prosper, an organization must be productive. It must return to its external environment certain outputs in order to justify its existence and get the support it needs.
The system theory is an analytical tool, which enables theorists and researchers to study key elements of organizations in terms of their interaction with one another and with their external environment. Social systems are always open systems with inputs, outputs, and conversion process. In relation to an organization, inputs refer to people, materials, information and finance. These inputs are organized and activated so as to convert human skills and raw materials into products, services and other outputs, which are discharged into the environment.
It is important to state here that the research, which is focused on “Management of Industrial Conflict in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions” is of vital importance in the study of the relationship between labour conflict and management. The institution is an organization, a system within a larger system of its environment. The workers, the sub-units and labour union within the organization constitute the internal environment of the organization.
The system theory as a framework for the study of management of industrial conflict in Nigerian tertiary institutions enables us to understand and explain how environmental factors (like conflict) affect the internal working of the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu and how this could bring about the collapse of the system.
Fig. 1: Available in the complete material you will be getting at the end of this chapter one
The System Approach to Organization
Input:
The political system accepts input − the total of outputs from other domestic sub-systems (social, economic, cultural, ecological, etc). These outputs from the domestic subsystems are articulated by the various publics and are aggregated by the intermediary gate keepers (pressure groups, labour unions, opinion leaders, mass media, political parties, ruling elites) from where they pass into political system as input. The activities of these intermediary gatekeepers are known as “Structural Mechanism”. “Structural Mechanisms” refer to norms, which regulate behaviour.
To ensure the maintenance of the systems there are three levels of supports”.
- Public support in the form of payment of taxes, participation in voting, obedience to law and acceptance of certain values.
- Regime: this refers to formal political links between certain entities in the political system executive, parliament, judiciary, political parities.
- Authorities: This refers to actual role payers, authoritative positions, such as members of the institution and senior staff of the institutions.
Conversion:
Conversion is the process by which demands are: (a) articulated and aggregated (b) converted into authoritative decisions, rules etc.
Output:
Output drives from the political systems after conversion as authoritative actions and decisions. There are four kinds of output.
- Extractive (tax collection)
- Regulative (laws)
- Adoration- activities such as allotting public funds between alternative uses.
- Judicial decisions, treaties, executive orders and administrative decisions.
Feedback:
Feedback is the response from those who made the original demands and this helps to determine such succeeding round of input.
Environment:
Environment is the masses (which include the institution workers) that make demands from the political system.
Stress:
The political system is subject to stress which may be due to lack of support, excess demands or outputs which produce adverse effect in the environment (like conflict).
As of now one can say that the tertiary institutions in Nigeria have various sources of conflict as a result of their struggle to meet up with their set goals and objectives.
1.7 Scope / Delimitation Of The Study
The study focuses on the management of industrial conflicts in Nigerian tertiary institutions with particular reference to the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu. To achieve this, the study looks at the background of the Institute, causes of conflicts, how conflicts were managed, and to determine the extent these conflicts have gone in shaping the economy and life of the workers within the institution. The research covers the public sector of the country. It is believed that the outcome of the finding will be applicable to similar institutions within the country.
1.8 Limitations Of The Study
The researcher was faced with a number of problems in the process of carrying out this research study and as a result the research admits its shortcomings. As Nwana (1981:32) aptly observes, it is a mark of intellectual honesty to admit that limitations did exist in a research undertaking and to give an account of the way they have been manifested. This will enable future investigators to have an idea of what militating factors to look out for and possibly to take care of them. The limiting factors are explained below:
First the researcher found it difficult to gather indepth information on the area of study. In most cases, some of the information gathered was stale. Also some of the information was insufficient due to the attitude of some of the library users by pilfering library materials.
The unwillingness of some personnel officers of Institute of Managmeent and Technology, Enugu to disclose some pieces of information that are vital to this study which they classified as being “secret” posed some problems.
Due to fluctuation in power supply, the researcher had to visit interment severally in order to retrieve the required information. Besides, because of poor quality of floppy disc and flash drive both storage and retrieval of information were difficult.
In addition to the above problems, the researcher also encountered the problem of time and financial factors because the research was carried out within a given time frame in an environment where the researcher had to attend to her official assignments in her place of work, battle with lectures, class work and sourcing of materials.
In spite of all these shortcomings the researcher did her best.
1.9 Definition Of Terms
Organization:
The term organization implies three basic things as used in this work
- A group of persons working together for a common purpose e.g. companies. School, institutions.
- A network of relationships among individuals and activities. This implies the structural and strategic arrangement of persons position and roles
- A process of executive function aimed at ensuring that resources, activities and authority relationship are so co-ordinated to achieve specific goals
Industrial Conflict:
Industrial conflict is a disagreement between two or more members of an organization over means/manner of achieving certain goals within the establishment (Szilagyi, 1981).
Industrial conflict can be described as the existence of not only grievances in the workplace, but also grievance that result to strike, work stoppage, lockout or any other labour actions that are unfavourable to the employer.
Grievance:
Grievance is a complaint against an organization that has been formulated and is handled through the systematic procedure established by collective bargaining. Grievance may be grouped into two, namely: individual grievance and collective grievance. Grievances involving an individual are over his rights, what he thinks he is entitled to as a workman in his place of work.
Collective grievances are concerned mainly with economic matters except in cases where individual grievances develop into collective grievances. The economic matters that cause collective grievances are those that relate to collective bargaining.
Morale:
This refers to the level of confidence and positive feelings among staff.
Conflict/Dispute:
Conflict and dispute is said to exist between two or more individuals or work groups; when they disagree on a significant issue(s) and clash over the issues. Although generally viewed in a negative light, conflict can be of some value to the enterprise. It provides opportunities for new leaders to merge and for the enterprise to change it’s objectives in order to respond to changing environment. Franklin Roosevelt felt that conflict was necessary for effective policy making by appointing advisers who would clash and then assuming the role of an arbitrator in their disagreement, he was able to weed the bias out of the opinion they offered.
Conflict is an essential aspect of social system and its component parts, and conflict can create room for a thorough analysis resulting to better decision.
Management:
In the course of this work, management will be looked at in two different perspectives.
- Management in terms of the work of a manager-planning, organizing, directing, co-ordinating and controlling the affairs of an organization. It includes the total system of an organization, which involves getting organizational personnel to accomplish their work so as to achieve the organizational goals.
- Management in terms of people who are placed in-charge of the affairs of others.
Employee/Worker:
An employee or worker is “Any person who enters into a contract with another (the employer), to perform work under the control of the employer or another of that employer’s employees, and as part of this organization run by the employer in return for wages or salary or some other valuable consideration”.
Strike:
A strike is defined in the Trade Dispute Act of 1976 as “a cessation of work by a body of persons employed, acting in combination or concerted refusal or a refusal under a common understanding on any member or person employed to continue to work for an employer in consequence of a dispute, done as a means of compelling their employer or any person or body of persons employed or to aid other workers accept or not to accept terms of employment and physical conditions of work”.
Trade Union:
Section 3 (8) of the Trade Union Act of 1973, defined trade union as “Any combination of workers or employees whether temporary or permanent, the purpose of which is to regulate the terms and conditions of employment of workers, whether the combination in question would or would not apart from this act, be an unlawful combination by reason of any of its purpose being in restraint of trade and whether it’s purpose do or do not include the provision of benefits for its members”.
