Industrial Conflicts in Nigeria University - Essay Example

After the endurance of a cascade of corrupt and immorally brutal military sessions of dictatorship as followed by the independence in 1960, Nigeria was responsible for electing Former General Olusegun Obasanjo of the people's Democratic Party which is also known as PDP, as president in the year 1999 (Onwudiwe). From 1976 to 1979, he has efficiently relinquished power to a short-lived civilian government. He was a military ruler and thus, being elected as a leader for the country, he has foreseen Nigeria's coarse and uncertain progress towards a more democratic consolidation.

During the years 2002 and 2003, five major political events marked Nigeria's presence. The first one was the deepening of religious tensions which had ended up in deadly and brutal riots during the month of November 2002. The second event was the holding of national elections in April 2003. The third event contributed to the serious unrest in the oil rich Niger Delta region and the fourth even was the nation-wide strike in the month of June in the year 2003, which was held against an increase in the oil prices.

Lastly, the most significant of them all was the six month strike of the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU). It, nonetheless, lead to the endurance of the country's democracy, but the role of government in these events showed a mere progress and deterioration in rights in some areas. Also, it led to freedom in some crucial areas of free and fair elections, the rule of law and official accountability. 2. Literature ReviewThe literature reviews discussed below present a series and a cross-section analysis of strike operations with the help of numerous studies by various authors.

Strikes overtime and across industries are affected by a wide range of economic, organizational, occupational, market structure and other political variables. This variation in the nature of strikes has given rise to a number of empirical studies suggested by authors who've identified the factors responsible for the pattern. Some have examined the time-series component of the variation in strike activities, while some have concentrated upon the cross-sectional distribution of strike activities across industries, whether they are metropolitan areas or unions.

The incidence of Strikes in an economy varies widely across industry groups at a given point in time. Richard Hyman, in his sociological text 'Strikes' has pointed out that every significant trade union struggle over relevant conditions such as wages, has a political dimension. The reason for such an argument is that it directly encroaches in to the government economic strategy (Hyman, 1972). Furthermore, any step towards transforming the organization and the direction of individual firms on the economy would demonstrate a high political act which would, as a result, pre-assume consciously the political aspirations as articulated on the part of working people.

Industrial conflicts are that part of the argument which hardly spring fully-formed into the public view. Intrinsic disagreements and disapprovals regarding wages or conditions may solely give rise to local disputes which may lead to a palisade outside the gates. Either through conciliation, or arbitration, workers resume through the gates, once the issue is elucidated. Hence, the dispute holds a little effect on the community or union which surrounds the work