The Impact Of Labour Union Activities On The Achievement Of Employee Aims In An Organization

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The early 70’s aw and witnesses the end of political crisis and at its time organized labour which was put into the coffin during the civil war was once released  free, its problem of whether or not to forget industrial action in the life of national security. Labour union is an organization of common goals such as achieving higher pay, increasing the number of employee an employer lines for improvement in the wage structure and other condition of employment throughout the country workers protect  coupled with the government growing realization of the poor economic states of the working class finally led to the establishment of certain commission like the Adebo commission.

Since 1970 to the present time, workers demand gave increased could not satisfy the needs of the employees in the faces of the economic failure which employees force management to access to going to examine the cause of strike, its consequences and effectiveness as a weapon of union in achieving their aims.

Strike as defined by section 37(1) of Trade Dispute Act No, 7,1976 is a cessation of work by a body of employed persons acting in combination or a concerned refusal under a common understanding of any number of employed persons to a dispute done as a means of compelling their employer on any person or body of persons employed to aid other worker. As its stand, that force strike is time as strike occurs,  large amount out is lost during January, 2000  (NLC Strike) when the government disagreed with civil servant wages and allowances about thirty working days were lost. Output dropped substantial, as a re-question government has to upgrade salaries in a bid to resolve between 1980, 1982, and 1993 and 1999 respectively there was a spot of industrial and trade disputes and work stoppages in the country requiting in a high loss in man hours and productivity. This spate of industrial unrent as evidently result of lack of adequate attention to the human labour in business organization. There has been giant sagging the fact that a human factor is of paramount importance in industry, commercial and the civil service. The management pre-occupation with maximizing profit has always made them to pay little or no attention to the human factor in the organization. This relegation of the human factor to the background by management has been serious but latent cause of ineras in strike action with the its resultant consequences.

Before the establishment of a central labour organization knowns as the Nigeria labour congree (NLC) in 1978 and the reconstructuring of the unions under the unions (Amendment) Degree No. 22 of 1978, the Niherian Industrial Relation system operated a confederated structure. This culminated into proliferation of union in Nigeria. In fact in Nigeria Labour movement consist of about 700 unions purporting to eater for the interest of less than a million wage and salary earning population. As a result, it was felt that apart from the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), the Nigeria civil service union (NCSU) and the Nigeria Union of Railway workers (NURW), most of the over 700 add registered unions in Nigeria were too small and weak to fulfill effectively the objectives for which they were established.

1.2     STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

The insecure industrial related climate in Nigeria, just within the last gears has resulted in all-time record of cost working hours, extra-ordinary work stoppages as a result of strike. In the first six months of the year 1982, Nigeria lost a total of 4,598 man-hours, because of strike action by workers. This represented a 342% increase in the five cost during the first half of 1959 and is even more than 100% higher than the 2,244,984 man-hours.

This may not be best time for the embattled Governor of Osun State, prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola over the current crisis  that has been rocking the state ministry of Education, as the Academic staff Union of  Polytechnics (ASUP) and Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) have chosen strike as their best option to press home their various demands for increase in salaries and allowances.

Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) week, embarked on an indefinite strike in all the state owned institutions to support its member’s agitation for the payment of  21% salary and allowance increase, which the Governor had reportedly promised to  pay since 2008. Teachers across the state have also remained hell-bent in security the implementation of the Teacher’s salary scale (TSS), while the state Government has not shown any interest in paying the 27.5% salary increase of the teacher’s a development that compelled the teachers to embark on an industrial action.

All academic activities in all the state owned Institutions (except UNIOSUN) and all the public schools have been paralyzed by the strike, a development that has sent millions of higher institution students and 800,000 student of public schools back to their various homes.

The ASUP and the NUT strike has known the  state governenmt into confusion and panic, a situation that made the state Governor and commissioner for education, Alhaji Jelili Adesiyan to be threatening the two unions.

Fresh facts have emerged on why the teacher strike would persist in the state for a longtime, as it has been disclosed that the state government has deposited the salaries of the teachers into a state government has deposited the salaries of the teachers into a fixed deposit account in one of the new generation banks in the state. The commissioner for educations in the state government could not afford the implementation of the 27.5% increase in the teacher’s salary due to the financial constraint of the present administration.

The NUT has remained hell-bent on its struggle for the implementation of the Teacher’s salary scale (TSS) just as the ASUP has also maintained that the indefinite strike of its members would be called off as the state government paid the 21% allowance to the lecturers.

According to the state chairman of the ASUP, Comrade Femi Adekale, who spoke to OSUN DEFENDER during the weekend in Osogbo, the state capital, academic allowances and leave bouns of the teacher’s for the 2008 has not been paid under the excuse of financial constraint by the state government.

The ASUP chairman revealed that certain percentages of their salaries and allowances were paid by their various institutions, adding that it is only the state government that has been adamant in the payment of their salaries and allowances. According to the chairman, Oyinlola has been avoiding the executives and members of the ASUP in the industrial crisis, as Oyinlola reportedly showed a meeting scheduled to settle the face-off between the union and the state government in Abuja, by the state chairman of the ruling people’s Democratic Party.

1.3     PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The main objectives of this study are as follows to investigate the effectiveness of strike action as a means of achieving employee aims from management.

1. To raise the status of the teaching profession through improved quality of education and condition of service.
2. To implement straighten the effectiveness of labour union activities as a means of achieving employee aims.
3. To enhance the social and economic well-being of members and established welfare funds for the benefits of members of the union.
4. To faster unity and progress among all teaches in Nigeria.
5. To provide a forum for the co-operation of teachers and the promotion of their welfare, the interest of education and the teaching profession.
6. To promote the corporate image of the union both nationally and internally by ensuring the continued existence of a strong virile and well-articulated organization.
7. To improve in economic conditions of teachers an avenue for bringing forth ideas about the educational development.
8. To give leadership and stimulate interest in matters which foster national and international unity and understanding.

1.4     RESEARCH QUESTION

1. What benefit have you derived by belonging to a union?
2. Do you think, you can achieve your aim even in a non-unionized group?
3. Have strike action help your union to obtain its demand from management?
4. What will be the achievement for the faster unity and progress among all teachers in Nigeria?
5. What will be the achievement for the faster unity and progress among all teachers in Nigeria?
6. How will the union enhance social and economic well-being of members and establish welfare funds for the benefit of member of the union?
7. Did the forum of the co-operation of teacher and the promotion of their welfare, the interest of education n and the teaching profession.

1.5     RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

For the purpose of this study, the Null hypothesis (Ho) and Alternative hypothesis (Hi) are formulate

H₀:    Labour union activities do not help in achieving employee aims.

Hi:     Labour activities help in achieving employee aims

H₀:    Labour Union activities discourages economic growth.

Hi:    Labour union activities encourages economic growth.

1.6     SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study was based on Christ the king primary school, government primary school, Ikot Ntuen Oku, Jevic Primary School and community secondary school, Aka Offot all in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

1. 7    LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

It is obvious that in a research study like this, it is always difficult to cover all possible grounds one would wish to. There are factors which constitute obstacles to the completion.

Time: The short period that is required to complete and submit the research work, with the time spent on other courses gave me problem and difficult to an elaborate search.

Financial Constraint: Inadequate funds limited me for not visiting many schools so as to get valid information.

Information: Relevant information for research work was difficult for me especially for the primary source.

1.8     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It is observed that the result of this research will be a beneficiary to many such as:

1. This study will help union members of any established organization either public or private toward realized the importance of well organized labour union that will bring about growth on the organization.
2. This study will also help government parastatals towards solving employee grievances and strike action.
3. The research will help teachers to know t heir legitimate right as employees and how to institute strike as a tool of appealing government to implement certain welfare practices that will increase their moral towards work.
4. This research work will help students who want to do a further research on this topic can also benefited, even during assignments and students that lay his or her hands on this work will improve academically.

1.9     DEFINITION OF TERMS

There are some terms that is being used I this research work that I will explain to enable everybody that come across this work to understand it more clearly.

1. Strike: A strike as an infringement of the legitimate rights not only those of the employer but also the consuming public and works.
2. Trade Dispute: It means debating, arguing and quarrels in words when buying and selling of goods or services, exchange of goods for money or the goods.
3. Economic Growth: It means designed to give a profit in the science of production distribution and consumption of goods condition of a country as to material prosperity.
4. Grievance: This means real or imagined case for complaint or protest.

1.10   THE GROWTH OF NIGERIA TRADE UNIONS

There is evidence that trade unionism, as it is known today, existed in any part of present day Nigeria earlier than 1912 when the Nigeria civil services union was formed. It must not however, be understood to mean that trade organizations were altogether unknown in Nigeria before that date. As Yesufu puts it. In fact, group activity of this sort is strongly noted in the tribal structure and organizations of hunters, blacksmiths, carvers and wavers were widespread. Tibias writes that craftsmen such as fronmoners, bronzes workers, blacksmiths, wood-carvers, leather workers cotton-wavers and tailors have been  association together from every early times in order to  regulates admission and expulsion from their respective associations and to lay down condition under which persons were allowed to practice these professions among the Nupe of Northern Nigeria, Nadel writes that the following were organized in craft guilds; blacksmiths, brass and silversmiths, glass-makers, weavers, bead workers, builders represented a closed group, the membership of which is to a large extent hereditary in a number of families, outsiders can join in only through a formal adoptions into the profession, after a period of apprenticeship.

1.11   THE NIGERIA UNION OF TEACHERS

Of the three pioneer unions, and indeed, for very many years on the trade union scene, the Nigeria Union of Teachers remained the best-run and the best organized trade Union. On 8 July 1931 nineteen delegates representing five centres Abeokuta, Agege, Ibadan, Ijebode and Lagos, met at eh C.M.S. Grammar school, Lagos to inaugurate the NUT. Officers appointed included such prominent men as Revd. I. O. Ransom Kuti, President, J . O. Lucas and R. R. Kyye, Vice President, T. K. Cameron Secretary and E. E. Esua, assistant secretary. Among the resolution taken at the resumed sitting on 9 July was one saying “that the education department  (of the government)” be in formed by the union’s secretary of the existence of the Nigeria Union of Teachers and a list of its officers and its readiness loyally and lawfully to co-operate with the aims and ideals of the department. All this first meeting the aim s of the NUT were agreed to be;

1. To study, promote and improve.
2. To create a better understanding among the teachers in Nigeria and
3. To submit to the government the opinions of teachers on matters directly or indirectly affecting the teaching profession in Nigeria.

By 1932 the number of branch unions and risen from five to seven, a measure of co-operation was indeed developed between the director of education, Mr. E. R. J. Hussey and the Union. As can be seen, although the teachers realized early the immense value of organizing in order to improved and maintain their working conditions, NUT clearly did not regard itself as a trade union in the traditional sense. Earlier in 1982, a member of the union Mr. Nyon un moving  a resolution for better pay for teachers, maintained that the union was not a trade union and did not  exist to agitate for  better wages, and that the question of salary was of secondary importance.

By 1941, however, tempers were beginning to rise. The union had change from its conservatism. During teachers were years of the Second World War many teachers were retrenched and many more paid what the president, Revd. Ransome Kuti, in his address to the 1935 conference called “starvation wages”. Agitation for better conditions, led to strained relations with both the government and the voluntary agency schools’ authorities, mainly, missionaries. On 6 October 1941, the Federal Executive Council of the union held its first emergency meeting to consider “Namely Dr. Henry, Carr’s right to direct communication with the education department and even to representation with the education department and event to representation on that board”. In 1945 the Nigeria Union of Teachers joined with other to form the Supreme Council of Nigeria workers which council was among the organizations which gave evidence before the Tudor Davies  Commission which invested the claims leading up to the 1945 general strike. In 1947, the Nigeria Union of Teachers was poised for another fight. On 22 March 1947 the union executive passed the following resolution whereas of Nigeria workers, submitted evidence to the Harragin Commission on salaries, asking for satisfactory scales for non-government teachers comparable with those for the civil servant and government teachers. And whereas at its 10th annual conference held at Ilesha in January, 1947 the union declared as state of crisis to exist on the salary issue.

We have seen that the NUT started life in 1931 with branches which, a year later, raised to seven. Although the period of the world war witnessed tremendous retrenchment in the number of employed teacher the president, in address to the 1935 annual conference, reported that the NUT in term of Anglicanism, Methodism etc.  Continuing, there were just under 5000 teachers in the union out of some 16,000 teacher s in the country which shows that there are only 31% organized as against about 88% in the case of the NUT in England. In large towns like Lagos, Calabar Port Harcout, Onitsha are to be found many teachers who are not yet in the union. The union decided at the 15th annual conference held on 4th – 9th 1946 to conduct an extensive membership campaign. This yielded enormous results. White the union closed 1945 with 74 branches, during 1946, 16 new branches where affiliated, bringing the total to go. About 300 new members were enrolled bringing membership at the close of 1946 to 7000. Yet the secretary urged the union to do something about “these parasites those teachers who do not have enough decency to support the union financially. However, the presidential address to the conference reflected more the tremendous achievement and organizational success of the NUT. On the  days of small beginning sixteen year ago with representative of five branches – Abeokuta, Agege, Ibadan, Ijebuode and Lagos – trying to feel their way through fog and darkness. Membership than consisted of less than 100, today some are up to 90 branches with over 7000 members on the list.

On the wider scene of national unionism the NUT remained isolate. It refused either to offer leadership or combine with others to strength the available leadership both in 1942, when the Federated Trade Unions of Nigeria invited the Nigeria Union of Teachers leaders to join with it, and again in 1944, when the trade union congress, successor to the Federated Trade Union of Nigeria, invited the NUT to affiliate with it, the NUT choose to stay aloof. On both occasions the advice of the English National Union of Teachers, to which the NUT had taken early steps to affiliate in 1939, was sought and on each occasion it was decide that such affiliation, at least for the present, was not advisable.

The Union  Act of 1878 to 1996 were created largely to ensure centralization of power, authority absolute control, it is the government did by the creation of Central Labout Organization in 1978 known as the “Nigeria Labour Congress” (NLC) in effect, the act changed the confederate structure of unions to union federation.

Not long after that, the Central Labour Organization (NLC) having been strengthened and empowered lost focus on its primary domain of responsibility of pursing the betterment and interest of worker and other industrial relations maters and went into advocacy in political and economic issues. Coupled with fragrant misuse of strike actions before (contrary to NLC constitution that stipulates that before any strike action should be embarked upon the consent of majority of workers supporting it should be obtained through secret ballot) and against the actualization of government reforms. The effort to curtail the excesses of Nigeria Labour Congress  (NLC) led to the amendment of the Act know as the Labour Reform Act 2005  (ALO, 2004) which is capable of changing the structure from Union Federation back to Union Conference (Anugwom, 2007).