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Assessment Of The Efficacy Of Collective Bargaining As A Pathway To Conflict Management In Nigeria’s Public Sector Organizations
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Within the employment relationship, conflict of interest is an inherent element of labour
–
management relations. From this perspective, Obi (2013) defined
workplace conflict as an act of discontentment and contention which
either the workers or employers of labour utilizes to put excessive
pressure against each other so as to get their demands. This view is
consistent with Muhammad (2014) and Kazimoto (2013) description of
workplace conflict as existence of clash of interests or objectives in
worker – management relations. On this premise, most industrial
conflicts have economic and goal incompatibility in the absence of
common values in work establishments. However, through the use of the
machinery of collective bargaining, it is possible for labour and
management with conflicting goals to relate harmoniously, handle their
grievances or disputes by working towards consensus and diminishing the
odds of non – productive escalation of conflicts. Ironically, despite
the acclaimed purpose of collective bargaining as a veritable tool of
industrial peace, no day passes in Nigeria, particularly in public
sector organizations without any form or threat of industrial actions.
Thus, the most frequent problem in Nigeria in recent times is the
incessant industrial action (Uma, Obidike, Eboh and Ogbona, (2013) and
Okuwa and Campbell, 2011). According to them, if it is not the National
Union of Teachers (NUT), Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), it
will be Health workers or other important public sector union.
Consequently, the public sector employees’ faith in the use of
collective bargaining is fast ebbing away. This is because, the only
justification of industrial action in this sector is the dent on the
collective bargaining approach.
Thus, by today’s standard, collective
bargaining practice seems to be in a deplorable and piteous situation
in the Nigerian public sector establishment. Ibietan (2013) opined that
the machinery and process of collective bargaining are not given firm
footing particularly in the Nigerian public sector organizations. He
added that perfidy or deliberate refusal to honour collective agreements
arrived at through the consensual process of collective bargaining are
rife among employers or management representatives of some public
organizations. Similarly, Fajana and Shadare (2012) asserted that
generally, collective bargaining has experienced considerable elevating
policy pronouncements, but less in terms of seriousness and
effectiveness in various industrial sectors in Nigeria. In contrast
however, Ekwuoba, Ideh and Ojikutu (2015), Owoseni (2014) and Bello and
Kinge (2014) argued that collective bargaining is a veritable instrument
of management of conflict and has played an effective role in conflict
resolution in Nigeria public sector organizations. Hence, a wide
divergence of opinions exists on the effectiveness of collective
bargaining as a tool of conflict management in the public sector
organizations in the country.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This study evaluated the efficacy of collective bargaining as a pathway to conflict management in Nigerias’ public sector organizations. A sample of 1425 respondents drawn through stratified random sampling technique from six (6) purposively selected public establishments with chequered history of conflict in work-relations in the federal capital city, Abuja, participated in the study. Data were obtained through the use of questionnaire which has a modified 5-point rating scale with a rel ... Continue reading---
