C

HAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY.

The industrial relation is a discipline that deals with the relationship between employers and employers as they interact with each other.

Looking backward historically, one can say that the coming of the whitemen to the third world countries like Nigeria ushered in so many changes in the way of life of our people including the replacement if our communal world relations by paid employment system.  The able bodied men and woman in the society were employed.

For construction of rail way line, motor highways, se5rvants to the white masters are over laboured and as well needed for other jobs that needs strength these men were then remunerated in money but the introduction of ax, made almost compulsory for the adult, makes engage themselves in one form of paid employment or the other.

With the growth of paid employment, there come the need for some kind of job regulation between employers on the other hand acting as a group or unions.

In industrial relations, the government or its agent takes the position of an empires or moderators during the employers and employees controversial negotiations.

Hence it is usually said that industrial relations involves three parties such as the employers, employees and the government or its agency as the empire.  This is called tripartite negotiations or dialogue, all these are geared towards maintaining good industrial harmony between the workers and the management or employers.

At first, the workers union often resort to strike action of making their feelings known to the management to obtain their demand to substitute the collective bargaining for the feeble effort or complete surrender of individual works dealing with employers to compli8cate what has been considered as a matter of “free” individual relations between employers and employees.  It is in this regard that the term industrial relations evolved as a study of an economic class conflict between the haves or the bourgeoisies and the have not or the proletarians vice versa.

Moreover, the ultimate nature of the conflict was perhaps seriously misunderstood as indicate in the fieriness with which it was and still indeed frequently waged.  This can be seen when it involve the burning of factory machines distraction of manufacturing properties, dismissed imprisonment and even shooting of workers as experienced by the coal miners in Iva valley in 1949 at Enugu which gave rise to the formation of Nigeria labour congress (NLC).

All these features in the custody of industrial used countries.  Inspite of the opportunities to have been benefited from lesion of history, these manifestation of industrial conflict have also been apparent in the developing countries especially in the third world countries likeNigeria.

However, the industrial conflict has no final victor or permanent vanquish as each of the parties are mutually supportive.  As Ivor Kenny put it, there is  fundamental conflict of power between those in authority and those over whom authority is exercised.

 1.2    STATEMENT OF PROBLEM.

Through industrial in both public and private industries are believe to be inherent and normal, for the employer seeks to obtain labour at the most economic rate (as he does with all other resources) and the employer  seeks to sell his labour for the best possible return as all supplies do.

Inspite of the fact that Nigeria has been witnessing a myriad of industrial unrest, ranging from minor unrest within private industries and state government establishment and parastalals to the nation wide strikes in Nigeria

The cause of these4 strikes have been generally suspected to be as a result of poor management of these establishments, poor states of the nations economy, non-payment of workers salaries and bonuses, incessant lay-off and in some situation complete liquidation of some companies or an organization.

 Moreover, in every work situation, differences of opinion will arise over working methods,  conditions and rates of pay,  if relationships are poor, these differences will develop into confrontation which may in turn result to open disputes involving either strike action and stoppages or the failure of workers and management to co-operate fully.

Apart from losses in output which such dispute can cause, the long term effects can be poor industrial relations is likely to face industrial disputer.

Most of these public organizations are concerned with the provision of vital goods and services, sometimes undermonpolistic conditions.

Moreover, looking critically into the associated problems of industrial relation as a discipline, it can be categories into the following:

a.       How to organize productions and shares the returns of other joint endeavors as regards to employees and employers.

b.       The employers are primarily concern on maximizing the returns from their investment while the employees are only interested on how to maximized his own returns in the form of wages and other benefits.

c.       What benefits institute by the organization and who shall partial there of.

d.       What to produce and how to produce them by the organization.

e.       Decision on how to employ and dismiss by the organization as regards to employer who shall make such decision and how such decision can be made

f.       The appropriate time available for the employment contract negotiation as regards to the employees and employers

 1.3    PURPOSE OF THE STUDY.

The intention to which the researcher had in mind before carrying out the research is to examine the following:

a.       To examine the role of industrial relation in the running of business organization efficiently and effectively

b.       To examine the role of industrial relation between employers in delegation of duty

c.       To ascertain how employers and employees joint consultation and collective of organizational policies.

d.       To ascertain how industrial relation ensures harmony in an organization.

 1.4    SCOPE OF THE STUDY.

The research work is being limited to the industrial dispute as applied in Nigeria Breweries 9th mile corner, with a view to improve harmony in the organization and also the organizations performance.

 1.5    RESEARCH QUESTIONS

To enable the researcher solve the problem in his research work the following research questions were formulated.

1. What role has the industrial relation played in the running of business

          organization efficiently and effectively?

1. What role does industrial relation played between employers in

          delegation of duty?       

iii.      Does employers and employees joint consultation and collective

          bargaining in organization permits evaluation of organizational policies?

iv.      Does industrial relation ensure harmony in an organization?

 1.6    RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

It is in consideration of the problems stated above and the objective of the studied environment that the researcher propounded the following hypothesis:

1.       Ho industrial relation is not important the running of business organization efficiently and effectively .  Hi industrial relation is a vital tool in the running of business organization efficiently and effectively

2.       Ho industrial relation between the employers does not maker proper delegation of a duty easy.

          Hi industrial relation   between employers make proper delegation of a duty easy.

3.       Ho employees and employers joint consultation and collective bargaining in an organization does not permit evaluation of organizational policies Hi employees and employers joint consultation and collective bargaining in an organization permit evaluation of organizational policies.

4.       Ho effective industrial relation in an organization does not ensures industrial harmony.  Hi effective industrial relation in an organization ensures industrial harmony.

 1.7    SIGNIFICANT OF THE STUDY.

This study is significant in many aspects.  For one thing, it is directed towards the solution of empirical problems namely: industrial relations and organizational efficiency in the Nigeria Breweries Plc .  here, the study proffers questions on the possible solution of found industrial disharmony and efficiency at the Nigeria Breweries Plc.

For another, the study is significant since it is raised to satisfy a academic requirement pertaining to the procurement of higher national diploma (HND) in business administration.  It is thus a contribution of knowledge. 

Furthermore, our research is timely in he face of strikes and labour grievances in the contemporary Nigeria industrial beneficial to employers, employees, government and protagonists of industrial harmony and efficiency as well as to students of this aspect of management sciences.

 1.8    LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

An obvious limitation of this study is time which has also affected its scope.  Again, the limitation of this study has been designed to the standards of the academics as far as writing project is concerned.

I would also like to write more on this but due to some financial problems beyond my control, it has to stop at this limit.  At times when you come out with your questions, some might decide not to answer your questions due to some personal reasons. On the whole, the study is limited by the vargances of the Nigerian education, economic and social events.

 1.9    DEFINITION OF TERMS

The following terms in this study should be taken to mean the following:

INDUSTRIAL RELATION.

This is the social relationship that exists between the employee and their unions, employers and their association and the government and their agencies in their effort to regulate the terms and conditions of work.

 DISPUTE

This is the interacting factor between the employers and the employees over the terms and conditions of work.

 CONFLICT

Conflict here means the incompatibility of interest between the employee and the employer or between the employers and employees connected wit employment or non-employment.  It is taken to mean the same thing as dispute.

 REFERENCE

Agwu A (1982) Industrial Relation for Developing Countries.  Fourth Dimension

I Monate C.I. (1984) Collective Bargaining in the Nigerian Private Sector. Labour and Society.

Nwankwo E (1983) Industrial Crises in Private Sector Economy U.N.E.C

Tayo F. (1992) Industrial Relation System in Nigaeria. Second Edition Longman.

Webbs B. and Webb (1912) The History of Trade Unionism. London Longman Green.