CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The existence of conflict in Nigeria industrial organisation can no longer be treated with disdain, neither can students suppress it.
This project is concerned with understanding the role and practices of industrial relation in Nigeria and how it promotes industrial harmony by emphasizing on the roles and effectiveness of the labour union executive in resolving industries conflicts.
This project shall rise to the challenge by stressing the role of the union executives by focusing on the questions of leadership quality, trade union education and experience, effective communication and management principles, the issue of financial rewards vis-à-vis the relationship between the executives and its members on one side and the employers (management) and employee (workers or union).
By the very nature of its formation and existence industrial organisation are perceived to have in its bowel, divergent and discordant interest, thus, making conflict within it inevitable, as it is also endemic in all human organisation.
Fajana (2005) cited by Joyce (2011) defined industrial conflict as the inability of these parties either between employers and employees or within their group to reach agreement on any issue connected with the object of employers and employees interaction, whether or not this inability results in strikes or lockout or other forms of protestation.
Thus, Edwin (1980) has argued convincingly that conflict perse is neither bad no contrary to good organisation but stressed that disagreement and the ensuring discussion can lead and mislead to a re-examination of basic assumptions and practices to the end that adjustment can be made to improve overall organisation effectiveness. In other words it is our intention in this project to embark on a thorough research analysis to conflict and conflict resolution within the context of an industrial work place through a case study of the roles of union leadership in industrial organisation emerged essentially out of the dual purposes in the “mutual expectations, of task accomplishment (organisation objectives) and membership though conflict has being so perceived in all industrial organisation but opinions differ as to causes and usefulness.
In view of the above, conflict springs up. Industrial conflict also refer to as trade union, therefore is defined as “any disagreement or dispute between workers and workers or between workers and employers regarding the condition of employments of workers and the general conditions relating to their employment “ industrial conflict can be formal or informal.
Informal conflict in an industrial organisation is usually associated with low skilled and purely educated workmen and such conflicts are generally unorganized, exhibited in individual actions such as absenteeism, sabotage, theft etc. Formal conflict on the other hand is associated with high skilled and well educated workers who are properly organized and such formal conflict is usually spearheaded by union leaders who are referred to as “agitators”.
It is above this background that the researcher thinks that attention should now be diverted and focused on trader union leadership if it is believed of this researcher that an enlightened, educated experienced, and responsible union executives has a lot to contribute in bridging the gap between the employers (management) and the employees (union members/worker) this creating the necessary conditions force a stable and harmonious industrial relations.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The Nigeria economic scene, has in recent years witnessed an increasing rise in industrial disputes and labour militancy which has been expressed in incessant strikes, lockouts, riots, work to rule dismissals expensive and length legal tussles and court actions etc between the management and the workers, sometimes between the unions and the government.
The situation is such that hardly a month passes in this country without one form of conflict or another between the various interest groups
