CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Industrial conflict is constant and an inevitable part of any organization. The concept is associated with the “conflict theory” as organizations deal with people competing for self-interest. However, strike, an extreme form of industrial conflict, can be avoided, but most organizations hardly ever plan to avoid it even when they know it must occur. For example, government knows that Association of Nigerian Universities staff (ASUU) must go on strike on the expiration of ultimatum but government hardly ever thinks of preparing in advance to avoid the strike (Ezeagba, 2014).
Strike is an aspect of industrial conflict used by workers to express their grievances. It is a collective, organized, cessation or slowdown of work by employees, to force acceptance of their demands by the employers (Amadi and Precious, 2015). However, strike in work-relations is not an aberration, since it creates or provides an opportunity for correction and reconciliation for the improvement of both the organizational performance and workers welfare (Osad and Osas, 2013).
Otobo (2005) stated that strike is a typical result from the failure of negotiation to arrive at agreed-upon terms and as a bargaining weapon. It is the only ultimate level available for use by industrial unions (Amadi and Precious, 2015). So from the foregoing, strikes are accumulated actions due largely to negotiations that have failed in the past to which reference could be made through employees may seem to forego the term reference. According to Igbaji (2009), in an industrial relations system, conflicts (strikes) arise between workers and managers chiefly because of their different ideologies and opposing interests. Students across various institutions of higher learning particularly in Lagos State are constantly faced with industrial actions either by the Academic or Non-Academic Staff, the disagreement or lack of understanding between government and academic community often result in deadlock that usually disrupt academic calendar and with some dire consequences on organizational performance of the institutions.
University workers like all other industrial workers use strike to drive home their demands. Between 1992 and 1995, the crises in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions took a turn for the worse. According to Adeyemi (2010) the main aim of higher education in Nigeria is to give very sound and qualitative education which will enable the individual to function effectively in any environment in which he finds himself. This objective that hinges on the performance of workers in the higher institutions is often being threatened with poor incentive schemes that deter workers commitment, motivation and satisfaction.