ABSTRACT
In recent times the issue of Health workers going on strike is becoming worrisome, and rampart to the extent that if on section of the workforce does not go on strike for one demand or the other section may go and it occurs always.
During the period of these strikes, the losses suffered by the workers, patients and management are usually enormous when quantified in lost revenue, man hours and unavailability of medical service.
At UNTH, Enugu, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other professionals have at one time or the other gone on strike as a result of certain demands. When government ignores them, the strike will be extended as there is no platform for negotiation with the aim of reaching amicable settlement.
The drive and urgent need to put a stop to these unwholesome incidents, made the writer decides to dig into the strategies for promoting good industrial relationships.
About 90% of the disharmony and strike bothered on remunerations and the other 10% on the other Sundry matters. Most importantly is the managements inability to meet her personal cost requirements to the workers as and when due and also inability to source money to pay for approved increases in salaries and allowances or in certain cases outright diversion of funds earmarked for a particular purpose. Others borders on delay in implementing agreed decisions before suspension of strike, variance objectives between management and staff, incessant sale of hospital equipment to outsides instead of the workers, lack of good working environment and dissatisfaction with personnel officer in charge of circular interpretation and implementation.
When the strike last longer, management will lose revenue, experience diminished activities, workers sometimes become restive and at times violent, when salaries are withheld, patients will be hurriedly discharge and will be made to pay high fees at private clinics, the government will be under pressure to resort normally to save lives.
However, with collective bargaining improvement in conditions of service, prompt payment of salaries and allowances and the assumption of labour friendly relationship and the willingness to quickly implement agreed decision and more importantly have a way of communicating management decisions to the workers to avoid rumor mongering that may at times be damaging, or lead to strike, will greatly ensure good industrial relation and strike free health sector.
TABLE OF CONTENT
Title page ………………………………………………………………… I
Approval page ……………………………………………………………. ii
Dedication ………………………………………………………………… iii
Acknowledgment …………………………………………………………. iv
Abstract ……………………………………………………………………… v
Table of content …………………………………………………………. vi
CHAPTER ONE
1.1 Industrial relation ……………………………………………… 1
1.2 Background of study …………………………………………… 1
1.3 Statement of problem …………………………………………… 4
1.4 Objectives of study ……………………………………………… 6
1.5 Significant of Study………………………………………………. 6
1.6 Research questions ……………………………………………. 7
1.7 Scope and limitation of study ………………………………….. 8
References ……………………………………………………… 9
CHAPTER TWO
2.1 The Literature Review …….…………………………………. 10
2.2 The Background of trade Union Development………………. 10
2.3 Emergence of Trade Union and its Development …………….. 11
2.4 The History of trade unionism in Nigeria ……………….…… 12
2.5 The Objective of trade union in Nigeria ……………………… 16
2.6 The Cola Union/ the Economic measure……………………… 16
2.7 Code of conduct for industrial harmony………………………. 19
2.8 The Enugu General strike of 1945……………………………. .. 21
2.9 The Enugu Shooting of 1949…………………………………….. 21
2.10 The Nature and causes of Industrial disputes……………………. 22
2.11 Settlement of industrial disputes …………………………………. 25
2.12 Background of UNTH Enugu…………………………………….. 26
References………………………………………………………….. 34
CHAPTER THREE
3.1 Population and sample size……………………………………. 35
3.2 Identification of population……………………………………. 36
3.3 Method of investigation……………………………………… 37
3.4 Research Instrument ………………………………………… 38
3.5 Method of Data Analysis…………………………………….. 40
References …………………………………………………… 44
CHAPTER FOUR
4.1 Presentation and Interpretation of Data……………………. 45
4.2 Research Questions and Analysis…………………………. 46
CHAPTER FIVE
5.1 Summary of findings………………………………………… 54
5.2 Conclusion……………………………………………………. 60
5.3 Recommendations……………………………………………. 62
LIST OF TABLES
Respondents by official status/rates of return…………………………… 46
Responses to Research question one……………………………………. 46
Response to research question on two………………………………….. 49
Response to research question three …………………………………… 51
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 INDUSTRIAL RELATION:
This means the relationship between employers and employees in course of employment in industrial organizations.
However, the concept of industrial relations has a broader meaning. In a broad sense, the term industrial relations includes the relationship- between the various Unions, between the state and the Unions as well as those between the various employers and the government Relationship of all those associated in an industry may be called Industrial Relations.
Industrial Relation is that part of management which is concerned with the manpower of the enterprise – whether machine operator, skilled worker or manager.
Industrial Relation is a relation between employer and employees, employees and trade Unions (Industrial dispute Act 1947).
1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Recently, there has been a strike not only in the Health Sector, but in other sectors of the economy for various reasons ranging from agitation to improvement in the conditions of service, enhanced welfare packages including training and staff development, creation of safety environment for work and adequate retirement benefits etc.
According to labour decree No 21 of (1974) as amended in 1978 the Nigerian Industrial system was based on the philosophy of voluntarism, said to be applied to develop independent strong trade unions and free collective bargaining in employment regulations. The practice however had some degree of state guidance because of the low level of experience during those early years of Nigerians in inter-organizational relations in determining employment conditions. The system, at any rate maintained a reasonable degree of national industrial peace, at least without conflict in the work place. In spite of the desire of all the stakeholders to maintain industrial peace, there is nevertheless latent antagonism among them due to the following factors.
Firstly, the interest of both the employer and the employees are not completely mutual. Management may be trying to put down costs while demanding commitment and hard work from workers, while the workers may be seeking increase in wages and other financial related benefits.
The management will be preoccupied with using money for other capital jobs and providing other equipment to increase and enhance out put, while workers and the union will be preoccupied in attracting more pay and other fringe benefits to the workers, to enhance the material, economic, spiritual and psychological needs.
Secondly, the desires of the parties are more or less unlimited. Wages can never be as high as workers desire, while the money available are contending with other projects apart from increments in wages, and are therefore limited both in the short and long run.
Moreover, both modern and developing societies are dynamic, consequently even if a certain distribution of income and power could be devised which was not subject to controversy in any give n situation, there might be changes in regulations and laws by the government, high cost of living occasioned by increases in prices of goods and services, depreciation of value of comparable group elsewhere, the parties would therefore, need to look for a new allocation of income and incentives. (Section 314 of Trade Union decree of 1978).
Finally, if management and labour are to retain their institutional identities, they must agree and act on the agreement, where the union allows itself to be manipulated by the management, then it has ceased to be a credible union, the same is applicable to management.
Effort will therefore be made in this study to determine the strategies for promoting good industrial relations, especially as it concerns health workers at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu.
1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM