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Labour Unrest And Underdevelopment In Nigeria: An Appraisal Of 2000-2013
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Firstly labour union according to Fagane (2009) is any combination
whether temporary or permanent. According to him, its principal
objectives are the regulation of the relationship between work-men and
workmen or between masters and masters or the imposing of restrictive
conditions on the conduct of any trade or business and also the
provision and benefits of members.
However, labour union is
important to note are the main power resource of working people. The
power in this collectivity of workers tends to promote the resolution of
a variety of problems faced by the workforce which help in Nation
building.
Labour unrest according to Amesen Eric (2007) is a term
used by employers or those generally in the business community to
describe organizing the strike actions undertaken by labour unions
especially where labour disputes become violent or where industrial
actions which members of a workforce obstruct the normal process of
business and generate industrial unrest are essayed.
Labour unrest
could be defined as the disruption of the day to day labour activities
that generates income both local and international In the country and
makes the economy stagnant for a while due to the strike action and
protest by labour unions in the process of facilitating the interest of
their members endangered by Government policies unfavorable to them
(Labour Unions). However unrest in organization and industrial
establishment can be disruptive when the organizational goals are
stressful to the health of industrial workers.
Again labour unrest
can be defined as the inability of members in a role set are unable to
reach an agreement on an issue concerned with the objective of
interaction. There is hardly any gainsaying the fact that industrial
conflict on labour unrest are realities of any economic system where
workers and the management interact. Labour unrest seems to be more
pronounced in public sector organization most especially. Anugwom and
Ukaegbu (1998) argue that public union have substantial market power and
are usually in a position to play a key role in the political process
and its this unique positioning that make them conflict prone.
Dimension of Labour Unrest
Labour
unrest is so closely related to loss of peace because like Ofube (2001)
argues that unrest (conflict) is as central to life, because like we
know, life without conflict is no life. Therefore labour unrest is not
abnormal in any organization (private or public). Hence in the public
sector, workers are always disenchanted with the Government over its
handling of workers welfare and the general penury facing the nation.
Anugwom
(1997) views the dimension of labour unrest as a situation when the
economic depression in the country as exposing workers to a high level
of economic hardship. He further contends that the public sector workers
especially have been faced by given economic realities and may have
seen unrest as a way of breaking loose from the shackles of economic
deprivation.
Okechukwu R. O. (2002) expresses his view in the labour
unrest in Nigeria especially the June 2000 strike and argued that some
Government policies that are unfavorable to the workers tend to generate
the often strike action and protest leading to labour unrest.
Finally
it’s important to understand here that when Government formulates
policies not favorable to labour unions, they adopt some strategies or
dimensions leading to labour unrest in the country.
(a) Labour
Unions threaten the Government by issuing ultimatum within which its
demand will be met. Thus failure of the Government to oblige them may
elicit strike or demonstration thereby leading to labour unrest.
(b)
Propaganda using mass media and handbills is another dimension of
labour unrest; here workers all over the federation are notified on the
latest development and even the public.
(c) Employment of protests,
strikes and demonstrations is another dimension of labour unrest which
could be peaceful or violent.
In economics underdevelopment is when
resources are not used to their full socio-economic potential, with the
result that local development is slower in most cases than it should be.
more so, it results from the complex interplay of internal and external
factors that allow less developed countries only a lop-sided
development progression.
Effects of labour unrest and underdevelopment
(i)
Underdeveloped countries have low reservoir of natural resources and as
such any kind of labour unrest tends to destroy some of these resources
in the country.
(ii) Socio-economic inequality: This is another effect that propagates labour unrest in Nigeria that leads to underdevelopment.
(iii) Low level of industrialization.
(iv)
An unconditional policy is another effect of labour unrest and
underdevelopment that hinders development in Nigeria, because Government
policy not favorable to this labour union across the federation tends
to generate labour unrest.
Ezema (2007) contends that most labour
union and workers are often very restless and confrontational in their
approach to issues which affect them as a group such as not fulfilling
some of the employment contracts and as such, workers result to
anti-government posture which if care is not taken can lead to labour
unrest or even tear the state apart.
The existing gap here is that
Government always perceive the workers as lazy, uncooperative
individuals, who always hold secret labour meetings and plan drastic
actions against Government and any other organization they consider
threat to their interest while on the other hand workers (labour unions)
perceive the Government as exploiting them especially when they make
policies concerning labour without labours consultations (Chukwu, 2008).
It is this perceptual basis arising from the Government and the workers
that sometimes serve as the “brewing pot†of labour unrest. Hence the
Nation tends to loose a great deal of financial and material resources
(Akereke, 2010).
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]One of the major impediments to development in Nigeria is labour unrest. This is given the fact that no Nation can develop without human resource because they constitute and play very significant role in Nation building and development. The Nigerian case has been so pervasive that labour unrest extends to every situation when the Government takes major public policy decision that seems to affect the labour union and generally the masses without due consultation of labour statement; especially th ... Continue reading---
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