THE EFFECT OF INDUSTRIAL CONFLICT ON WORKER’S PRODUCTIVITY

THE EFFECT OF INDUSTRIAL CONFLICT ON WORKER’S PRODUCTIVITY

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

Overtime, Industrial conflict is a canker worm that has eaten deep into the fabrics of most organizations both government and private.In other to achieve organizational productivity, enhance growth and profitability in any organization, a lot has to be done in ensuring that workers or employees are in the right frame of mind in other to give their best to the cause of any firm or organization. Overtime, a lot of scholars have actually observed a striking relationship between employees’ frame of mind and their productive capacity. If operational performance and productivity is to be achieved, then workers/employees have to be provided with the best possible condition to give their best and enhance productivity. In achieving organizational aims and objectives, the workers inputs constitute over 70 percent to achieving profitability (Schlep 2010).

Industrial or organizational conflicts are one inevitable act that takes place in organizations or firms which is capable of ruining an establishment if no properly handled. Misunderstandings are inevitable but the way it is handled in an organization goes a long way of determining the eventual success of such organizations. In an organization where there are people from different background and ideologies industrial conflict is bound to occur. It take quite a lot of professional and ethical ways of ensuring that these industrial conflicts when they do occur can be effectively managed so that it doesn’t have a negative stamp on the organization.Aindustrial crises can be as a result of several factors which ranges from wages/salary, poor working condition, selective punishments just to mention but a few. Nigeria as a country has witnessed its fair share of industrial crises; in 1964, there was a general industrial action/strike carried out by the United Labour Union over the non-implementation of the revised salary structure in Nigeria. Workers demonstrated their grievances in the streets of major cities in Nigeria and some labour leaders were tortured in the process by the police. In 1994 during the regime of late General SaniAbacha, the academic staff union of universities (ASUU) carried out a strike action throughout the federation which lasted for more than a year over poor working conditions. Also in 2002 ASUU also embarked on six months old indutrial action over the better working conditions promised earlier.

THE EFFECT OF INDUSTRIAL CONFLICT ON WORKER’S PRODUCTIVITY