CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The early 70’s saw and witnesses the end of political crisis and at its time organized labour which was put into the coin during the civil war was once released free its dilemma of whether or not to forget industrial action in the life rest national security. With the civil war, labour militate its demand for improvement in the wage structure and other condition of employment throughout the country. Workers protest coupled with the government growing realization of the poor economic states of the working class ultimately led to the establishment of certain commission like the Adebo commission. Since 1970 to the present time, workers demand have increased could not satisfy the needs of the employees in the faces of the economics recession which employees force management to access to their demand. In this study, however, we are going to examine the cause of strike, its consequences and effectiveness as a weapon of trade union in achieving their aims. Mention of course would briefly be make of the history and development of trade unionism in Nigeria. 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 continue to work for an employer in-consequence of a dispute, done as a means of compelling their employer on any person or body persons employed to aid other workers.
As its stand, that force, strike is one word that torn the flesh of management: each time as strike occurs, substantial out is lost during the first general strike of 1945, 1993 (Asu strike Jan. 2000 (NLC strike) when the government disagreed with civil servant wages and allowances about thirty working day were lost. Output dropped substantial, as a re-question government had to upgrade salaries in a bid to resolve between 1980, 82, 1993 and 1999 to zoo 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 unrest was 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 factors to the background by management has been a serious but latent cause of increase in strike action on with its resultant consequences. It is the purpose of this work to probe into this and acquaint the management with the tools for combating this hydra headed monster.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The unstable industrial related climate in Nigeria, just within the last decade has resulted in all time record of cost working hours, unprecedented 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 actions 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. Besides these alarming strike occurrence. There are many others in the hundred of reported officially. Four is against this background that this research effort is consummated, with the definite mission of providing answers to the following questions: 1. Are such trade disputes and industrial unrest as a rest of unsettled grievance. 2. What chances exit for handling the grievance. 3. If strike occurs, what are the procedures for setting them. 4. Is strike the only effective means of achieving union aims.
