EFFECT OF STRIKES ON EMPLOYEES’ PRODUCTIVITY IN NATIONAL ORIENTATION AGENCY
| Format: Ms Word | 1-5 Chapters | Table of Content|
INSTANT PROJECT MATERIAL DOWNLOAD
Study Level: BTech, BSc, BEng, BA, HND, ND or NCE
Amount: ₦4,000.00
Abstract
The study was set to investigate the effect of strike on employees’ productivity in Nigeria. In order to achieve the above objective of this study, four (4) research questions and hypotheses were formulated to guide the investigation. The researcher also collected data from management staffs and employees from National Orientation Agency, in FCT Abuja. A total of one hundred and nineteen 119 respondents from the study area represented the population of the study. The study made use of the convenient sampling techniques in selecting a total of one hundred (100) respondents from the total population. The researcher employed the survey research design for the research methodology. The research instrument used to collect primary data was both structured and unstructured questionnaires. A total of one hundred and nineteen (119) questionnaires were administered to respondents of which one hundred and nine (109) were returned while one hundred (100) were validated. The findings revealed that; Strike action do influence employees’ productivity in National Orientation Agency, Abuja with 61% of the respondents affirming to this fact with a high extent. Also, that strikes have a strong and negative effects on employees’ productivity in National Orientation Agency, Abuja as 70% of the respondents affirmed to this fact. It was concluded that Strike actions influences directly on the productivity level therefore, its impact has a boomerang effect on the entire labour output in Nigeria. The study recommends that, there should always be room for collective discussion between union representatives and the Government and negotiations should always be implemented on time in order to stop employees from necessarily embarking on strike.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Strike action has continued to jeopardize the labour turnover that would have positioned Nigeria in the lists of developed Nations. Although strike actions in Nigeria takes different forms patterns. Even when the labour laws passed by the federal government to ensure industrial peace in Nigeria, strike still remain a rampant feature in Nigeria. Employees sometimes, make statement of threats to go on strike if their employers do not meet certain demands. This may drag on for months and it can divert the attention of both the employers and employees to other issues rather than increasing productivity (Abdullahi, 2013). Most times when employees engage their employers over industrial disputes, certain things may have gone wrong which require amicable resolution to ensure industrial harmony in the work place. However, the inability of both the partners to resolve such disagreement through constructive dialogue lead to frequent disputes in work places which negatively affects employees’ productivity.
Strike action is perceived as a global phenomenon due to its prevalence worldwide according to (Olusegun Ajayi, 2014). Strike is generally regarded as the refusal to work by employee of an establishment to protect for certain inadequacies in their conditions of services. Strike usually takes place in response to employee’s grievance. Strike action also called labour strike or industrial action is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employee(s) to work. Strikes are sometimes used to put pressure on government to change polices. Strike became important during the Industrial Revolution, when mass labour became important in factories and mines. In most countries, they were quietly made illegal, as factory owners had far more political power than workers. Most western countries partially legalize striking in the late 19th or early 20th centuries.
Occasionally, strike destabilizes the rule of a particular political party or ruler. In such cases, strikes are often part of a broader social movement taking the form of a campaign of civil resistance. A notable example is the stoppage of work by the indigenous railways workers in (1932) led by Pa Michael Imodu during the colonial era and the first general strike of (1945) in Nigeria. Since 1970 to present time, workers demand for improved condition of work and wages have increased the number of strike actions as management most times would not accurately satisfy the needs and requests of employees. Most Nigerians believe that the strike and others by workers were counterproductive the three partners lose when there is an industrial action. While some blame government and the employers for frequent strikes in our work places, others are of the opinion that workers often blackmail government on issues that could have been resolved without embarking on strike.
The reoccurring cases of strikes in most of the African countries including Nigeria is a result of the perceptions held by employees that it is the only language which governments and employers understand (Ige Akindele, 2014).
The legal authority to go on strike was given a tacit recognition in the Nigeria Trade Union Act 1973. This implies that no member of the trade Union shall take part in a strike unless the majority of member in a secret ballot voted in favour of the strike (Wechen, 2014). The 1986 decree restricted the right of workers and employers to declare a strike or lockout respectively. In 1969, a law was passed to amend the 1968 Decree. This 1969 legislation therefore makes it completely unlawful for anyone to go on strike. The trade dispute Act of 2004 lends support to the 2000 legislation. The trade dispute Act makes it compulsory for the opposing party of any striking group to report the case to the minister of labour who in turn will refer the matter to the Industrial Arbitration Panel. The Trade Dispute Act forbids any striking group from continuing or going on strike once the matter is lodged with the Industrial Arbitration Panel. Worthy to note that, each time strike occurs substantial man-hour is lost, a good example is the first general strike of (1945), the (1993) ASU strike where universities in the country are often closed for couple of months thereby causing set back in the tertiary institution. This study will investigate the effect of strike on employees’ productivity in Nigeria.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Series of strikes from employees’ union have resulted in the interruptions growth and development in the Nigerian system. Recently, billions were lost in the key sectors of Nigeria economy following incessant industrial disputes in those sectors, for instant the just concluded eight months ASUU strike by federal Universities (The Nation Newspaper 20th November, 2022). The recently suspended strike by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has been described as one strike too many by workers in the country. The Nigerian Labour Union believes that strike is a difficult step by workers, but it remained the last option to get government attention. According to Comrade Olabode Johnson, the President of PENGASSAN, “if the association issues threat of strike with a month ultimatum without any intervention from the government to address the issues raised by the workers then strike becomes the last option to attract attention of government and relevant stakeholders” (www.blueprint.ng). Therefore, the impact of strikes poses a serious challenge on both the management and employee`s productivity. To the best knowledge of the researcher, there is limited research on how to address the numerous strikes actions in Nigerian public and private sector. Despite the numerous strike actions that took place in the region in recent times, little research has been done to investigate the causes of the strikes and possibly to provide recommendations to address or reduce the occurrences of these strikes. It is against this background that this study seeks to investigate the effect of strike on employees’ productivity in National Orientation Agency, Abuja.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
Generally, the purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of strike on employees’ productivity in National Orientation Agency, Abuja. Specifically the study seeks to:
- Ascertain the extent to which strike action influences employees’ productivity in National Orientation Agency, Abuja.
- Identify the causes of strike action by the various unions in National Orientation Agency, Abuja.
- Examine whether strikes have strong and negative effects on employees’ productivity in National Orientation Agency, Abuja.
- Suggest possible solution to the incessant strike action in Nigeria.
1.4 Significance of the Study
Basically, it is imperative to question what would be the outcome of any endeavor, be it academic or otherwise. This is also applicable in this study. The researcher anticipates that at the completion of this study, the findings will be of importance to the government and employers of labour in particular as they are vest with the responsibility of ensuring employees welfare is always checked.
The findings of this study will encourage the management of National Orientation Agency on self-evaluation and reflection. It will also provide needed information to employees as well as helping inform management and policy makers on areas needing improvement, and provide steps to take to improve the quality of civil service commission in the country.
The outcomes of the study will educate management staffs, government officials and union members of potential positive impacts of effective collective bargaining process in National Orientation Agency.
This study will contribute to the body of existing literatures on strikes and employees’ productivity in the Nigeria context.
Consequently, scholars who may be interested in this same area of study, the findings will serve as a source of reference material and basis upon which further studies can be developed.
1.5 Research Questions
The following research questions were formulated based on the above objectives to guide the study;
- To what extent does strike action influence employees’ productivity in National Orientation Agency, Abuja?
- What are the causes of strike action in National Orientation Agency, Abuja?
- Does strikes have strong and negative effects on employees’ productivity in National Orientation Agency, Abuja?
- What are the possible solutions to the incessant strike actions in Nigeria?
1.6 Research Hypotheses
The following research hypotheses will be tested in the course of the study;
H0: Strike action does not influence employees’ productivity in National Orientation Agency, Abuja.
H1: Strike action influence employees’ productivity in National Orientation Agency, Abuja.
H0: There are no possible solutions to the incessant strike actions in Nigeria.
H2: There are possible solutions to the incessant strike actions in Nigeria.
1.7 Scope and Limitation of the Study
Since the statement of problem in this study affects the entire federation, and the dynamic scope also have a national outlook. It will be ideal to embark on the study in the entire federation. This research will focus on the effect of strike on employees’ productivity in Nigeria. However, it becomes necessary for the researcher to narrow it down to the premises of National Orientation Agency, FCT in Abuja.
In the process of this research, many challenges confronted the researcher as constraints toward the achievement of this work, the constraints include but not limited to:
- Some questionnaires given out to some staffs of National Orientation Agency, FCT were not return to the researcher.
- Some management staffs of National Orientation Agency, FCT refused to answer the questions correctly in order to keep their secret.
- Some respondents choose to ignore completely.
- Financial challenges also affected the gathering adequate secondary data for literature review.
In spite of all these limitations, the researcher tried to come out with a valuable research.
1.8 Definition of Terms
Collective Agreement: This is an agreement in writing for the settlement of dispute and relating to terms of employment and physical condition of work.
Collective Bargaining: This is defined as negotiation of working conditions and terms of employment between an employer or group of employers and one or more representatives of workers in an organization.
Employees: These are persons who work for another person in return for wages/compensation in cash and in kind.
Employers: These are persons who engage others by using their services in an organization to achieve an objective and pay them in return for their service.
Industrial Conflict: This is the dissatisfaction that arises from the interaction between labour and the management in the work place.
Management: This can be defined as those people occupying the position of authorities and responsibility in an organization.
Productivity: Is the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure. Measurements of productivity are often expressed as a ratio of an aggregate output to a single input or an aggregate input used in a production process, i.e. output per unit of input, typically over a specific period of time.
Strike: This is the temporary refusal by workers to work in accordance to the prevailing employment contract or other conditions that may not have been specified or implied in the contract.
Trade Union: This is an organization of workers whose main purpose is to maintain and improve the conditions of their members’ working life.
Work: This is a creative assignment for our corporate existence necessary for our economic independence.
USE THIS MATERIALS AS A GUIDE FOR YOUR PERSONAL RESEARCH WORK (IF PROPERLY CITED)
PAY ₦4,000 HERE TO DOWNLOAD MATERIALS
DISCLAIMER
WE ASSIST OUR CLIENTS BY PROVIDING QUALITY RESEARCH MATERIALS FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES.
THIS MATERIAL IS FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY AND SHOULD BE USED AS GUIDELINE.
DO NOT COPY THE ABOVE MATERIALS VERBATIM (WORD FOR WORD)