LABOUR CONFLICT AND MANAGEMENT IN POWER HOLDING COMPANY OF NIGERIA: (A CASE STUDY OF AWKA BUSINESS UNIT)

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Abstract

The study examined labour conflict and management in power holding company of Nigeria, Awka business units. The management have often been accused of negligence and insensitivity to the plight of workers and as well do not involve the workers in the decision making which have given rise to conflict between the two parties. The survey research method was adopted for the study and the study relied much on primary and secondary data. Four hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The date collected were formulated in frequency tables and analyzed using percentages and the hypotheses were tested using chi-square. The findings from the study showed that the attitudes of the management contributed to conflict that the various activities of the management like the style of leadership, the types of communication and relationship that exist between the two parties are strained. The researcher concluded that these factors are entirely true in the business unit. That the management were the workers are marginalized in decision making and the relationship between them is not cordial. The researcher recommends that continuous maintenance of cordial relationship and workers involvement in decision making will help in conflict resolution.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page                                                i

Approval page                                          ii

Dedication                                               iii           

Acknowledgement                                     iv

Abstract                                                  v

Table of contents                                      vi

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction                                       1

1.1 Background of the study                      1

1.2 Statement of the problem                           7

1.3 Objectives of the study                         10

1.4 Research questions                              11

1.5 Significance of the study                      12

1.6 Scope of the study                              13

1.7 Limitation of the study                         14

1.8 Definition of terms                              15

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW                       18

2.1 Introduction                                       18

2.2 Definition of labour crisis                      19

2.3.1 Management/resolution of industrial/labour conflict 27

2.3.2 Kinds of industrial conflict                  30

2.3.3 Causes of industrial/labour conflict             34

2.3.5 Principles of management                  35

2.4 Theoretical framework                          43

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 Research design and methodology                45

3.1 Introduction                                              45

3.2 Research design                                                45

3.3 Sources/methods of data collection              46

3.4 Population and sample size                          47

3.5 Sample technique                                       48

3.6 Validity and reliability of measuring instruments  49

3.7 Method of data collection                            50

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 Presentation and analysis of data                  51

4.1 Introduction                                              51

4.2 Presentation of data                                   51

4.3 Analysis of data                                   52

4.4 Interpretation of result (s)                           66

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS                     70

5.1 Introduction                                       70

5.2  Summary of findings                          70

5.3 Conclusion                                          73

5.4 Recommendations                               74

References                                        77

Appendix                                                 79

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Labour conflict is paramount and traceable to the human factor in the search for better wage structure and other conditions of employment and this affects the apparent need to evolve appropriate policies that would ensure management of labour conflict in power holding company of Nigeria. Power holding company of Nigeria is a public utility corporation/enterprise that generates, transmits and distributed light in Nigeria.

This public corporation is established by specific status which contains provisions relating to finance and personnel.

According to Leleye (2002) in Anikezie and Ngwn (2004) public enterprise is an organization that is set up as a corporation body and as part of the governments apparatus for an entrepreneurial or entrepreneurial-like organization that emerged as a result of government acting in the capacity of an enterprise (Asamoleku 1982)

The postulation of Leleye and Asamoluku portrayed that power holding company of Nigeria is an establishment of federal government for the interest of the public.

It is an autonomous body that is either fully or partially owned by government. Although Nigeria power sector is now a privatized company since the middle last tenure of Obasanjo tenure till date. The reason for the privatization of Nigeria power sector which led to the changing of its name from national electric power authority (NEPA) to power holding company in Nigeria (PHCN) were attributed to the following conditions, lack of clear and proper articulated objective unduly interference from the government, poor infrastructure lack of control, lack of autonomy and incompetence. But in all the input measures inserted by the government, not half output has been measured looking at the present service of power holding company of Nigeria. The service cannot commensurate with the required standard of modern society in transmission generation and distribution of electric power to the public as a privatized public corporation. Conflicts are inevitable in any organization setting when workers felt that there is misinterpretation or misapplication or non-application of the term of employment, conflict arose.

Many managerial techniques have been developed to ensure peaceful atmosphere in organizational setting. According to the trade dispute Act, 1976, “any dispute between employers and workers or between workers and workers which is connected with non employment or employment of any person is called trade dispute”. From the foregoing, conflicts often exist in power holding company of Nigeria, especially among management and the staff. This dichotomy between the employers and the employees manifest in several subsidiary terms, quarrel, disputes over wages, disputes over condition of work, violation of agreements, impromptu payment of wages and salaries, at time due to refusal/delayance in promotion strate to the merited staff. This unpeaceful atmosphere in the electric power sector in Nigeria brought the existence of Nigeria union of electricity workers reach consensus on behalf of the workers in order to maintain peaceful atmosphere in the administration of electric power sector as well as cooperation between labour and management, so as to maintain high productivity, services and profit in workplaces. But when this is not in place, workers attitudes towards work becomes prisoned that sometimes it appears they simply mean to throw some missiles without any particular target in mind.

LABOUR CONFLICT AND MANAGEMENT IN POWER HOLDING COMPANY OF NIGERIA: (A CASE STUDY OF AWKA BUSINESS UNIT)