ALTERNATIVESByTO STRIKE
OMOJOLA AWOSUSI, PhD
What is Strike?
• Cessation of work
• Work stoppage
Origin of Strike
Etymology of the word
London – 1768
Removal of topgallant sails of merchant
ships
Pre-Industrial experience
1152 BC – Deir el-Medina
Artisans working at the Royal Necropolis
walked away from work over non-payment
of their wages.
The Egyptian authorities led by Pharaoh
Ramses III increased their wages and
paid them accordingly
Origin of Industrialisation
Mid Eighteenth Century – French
Revolution
19th Century - Industrial Revolution
in Europe
Colonialism/Imperialism - To exploit
resources to feed emerging
industry in Europe
industrial revolution
Strike became a feature of the political climate with the
advent of industrial revolution
People moved from villages to the cities to work in the
factories
They soon met with hardships, disappointments, exploitation,
low wages, unpaid wages etc
Industrial conflicts resulted into protests, agitations
Labour unionism started
First major strike in UK : 1842 in the coal mines of
Staffordshire. The fire spread across UK
Genesis of strikes in Nigeria
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Royal Niger Company – Tubman Goldie first employer of labour
Colonial Government ( 1914 – 1960 )
The Government became single largest employer of labour
World War I (1914-1919)
World War II (1939- 1940)
Economic recession of the 1930’s and 1940’s
Under payment of wages
Establishment of labour unions – NCSU (1912), NUT (1930)
Nationalism and crave for independence
Labour revolts
1945 national strike led by Michael Imoudu
TABLE 254: SUMMARY OF INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES, 2003-2007
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Number of Disputes
77
36
149
189
250
Number of Disputes
resulting in Strike
28
26
57
63
79
Number of Disputes
resolved
57
32
110
79
212
Duration of Disputes
(Days)
645
277
675
910
1,264
Number of Workers
involved
Total-Man-Days lost
249,697
127,377
280,606
208,589
414,543
5,690,952
2,737,399
4,308,013
7,785,993
13,227,957
Items
Source: Federal Ministry of Employment, Labour and Productivity, Abuja
Is strike legal ?
ILO Conventions –
87 - Freedom & right of association
(1948)
98 - Rights to organise & collective
bargaining (1949)
International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural rights – 1967
European Social Charter -1961
Supreme Court of Canada- 30 January
2015
TUA ACT 2005
Section 30
(6)
Workers can go on strike if:
• They are not on essential services
• The dispute involved is about right
• The strike is about a dispute involving a collective
agreement or fundamental breach of contract of employment
• The provisions for arbitration in the Trade dispute have been
complied with
• The trade union involved has voted in their lawful meeting for a
strike to take place
DECIDED CASE : Oyo State versus NLC, NUT and others (2007)
When/Where Strike is illegal
Marxist Soviet Union – Trade Unions and
strikes illegal
China – Strikes was illegal until 1976
when she signed the ICESC covenant
but still a restricted liberty
TYPES OF STRIKE
• Wild cat Strike
• Go slow
• Official Strike
• Unofficial strike
• Constitutional
Strike
• Sympathy Strike
• Work to rule
• Sit down Strike
IMPACT OF
STRIKE
• On workers &
union
• On the
employer
• On the state &
society
Impact of strikes on WORKERS & the union
ADVANTAGES
• Strengthens the trade union – preventing production to
continue and shows the Power of labour
• The employer is forced to make concession
• Outcome leads to economic benefits
• Sometimes, the strike action is a learning curve for union leaders
DISADVANTAGES
• No work no pay rule
• Loss of regular source of income
• Issue of Strike Fund not being funded
Prof. Sola Fajana –Industrial
Relations in Nigeria (2000)
Impact of strike on the Employer
Imberman (1979)
• Pre-Strike
Costs
• Cost during
the strike
• Long term cost
• Uncommon
cost
Pre-Strike Costs
• Costs incurred on meetings
with Unions
• Loss of contracts – Clients hearing of
impending strikes will be vary
of awarding jobs
Cost during the strike
• Loss of revenue
• Idle equipment – vehicles etc
• Recruitment cost – to replace
striking workers
• Loss of customers to competitors
• Loss of share of market
Uncommon Cost
• Sabotage
• Picketing
• Closure of plant
• Legal cost
Final Costs – sundry costs
• Pre-strike slump in productivity
• Loss of operating profits as customers
split their orders to avoid disappointments
from a factory where strike is imminent
• Theft of raw materials and semi finished
inventory
• Continuous payment of those on strike
• Extra security guards
• Overtime cost
• Executive time devoted to production
• Excess distribution costs
• Lease of trucks
IMPACT ON THE STATE
The goals of the State include maximisation
of economic growth & development
for the nation through maximisation of
social benefits and the minimisation of
social costs
The impacts
• Deceleration of Gross National Product
• Strike in closely integrated industries lead to disruption
in forward-linked stages of the economy e.g., oil
exploration, production and marketing
. Strike in strategic industries do have ripple effect on
other sectors e.g., Oil & gas, electricity
• Strike could ignite political upheaval, protests
• General strikes could be a precursor to change of
government in the third world
Factors making for effective strike
• Effective Unionism
• Effective Union leadership
• Union leaders’ integrity
• Union bargaining powers – balance of terror
• Political climate
CASE STUDIES
NASU EKSU – Integrity versus Vanguard
NUT OYO State - Achievers versus Providence
Strike is a symptom of
Industrial Conflict
Industrial conflict stands for the simple
articulation of helplessness of the Parties involved
to mutually or reciprocally satisfy each other’s
needs. Individuals and groups exhibit different
responses to the conditions or treatments causing
him or his group discomfort.
Forms of industrial
protest
Individual
Absenteeism
Resignation
High turn over
Fraud
Damage to
property
Restriction.
Group
Mass meetings
Resolution
Demonstrations
Picketing
Strike
Causes of industrial conflict
Economic reasons
and
Non-economic reasons
Economic reasons
•Salary and wages
•Allowances
•Bonuses
•Status
•Promotion
Non-economic reasons
• Achievement
• Recognition
• Career development
• Posting/position
distribution
• Power distribution
Experts’ Opinions
ABRAHAM MASLOW’S
HIERACHY OF NEEDS
ABRAHAM MASLOW
1908 - 1970
HERZBERG 2 FACTORS THEORY
Strike-proned if…….
Not proned to strike if……….
Fredrick Herzberg
1923 - 2000
Does strike have
alternatives?
GEORGE ORWELL ‘S 1984
“War is peace
Peace is war”
Strike is a weapon that has continued to
work because it has always worked.
It is a weapon of under-development
working in the under-developed world
It is a weapon readily available to the
oppressed.
BUT
IT HAS ALTERNATIVES
STRATEGIES FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Gregory P. Smith
1. Understand the situation
2. Acknowledge the problem
3. Be patient and take your time
4. Avoid using coercion or
intimidation
5. Focus on the problem not the
individual
6. Establish guidelines
7. Keep communication open
8. Act decisively – don’t leave
issues in limbo
K. Thomas (1976) – Dimensions of Conflict
Handling Orientation
Metaphors for Conflict Resolution approaches
Turtle
Owl
Shark
Fox
The Turtle Approach - Avoidance
Characteristics
• Recoils/withdraws its head when
there is potential conflict
• Adopts avoidance strategy
DANGER : postponement of
doomsday
The Shark Approach – Confrontation & Coercion
Characteristics
• The shark attacks and consume
enemy/assumed enemy
• It adopts competition/confrontation
approach
• Good when quick decision is vital
• Reasonable when the other party is poised
to ‘kill’ the organisation
DANGER :
• Leads to/generate fresh conflicts
• Expands conflict scope
• Triggers sympathy strike
The Owl Approach – Unpredictable Negotiator
Characteristics
• Highly sensitive
• Highly observant
• Can turn the tide
swiftly
DANGER:
• Capable of
manipulating
things
The Fox Approach– Negotiation Approach
Characteristics
• The fox is cunny, smart, yet a carnivore
• The fox exudes interest and choice when
acting as predator
• The fox employer neutralises conflict by
using deft negotiation ability
• The employer focuses on profit and
productivity
• The employer allows Collective bargaining
as a means of achieving his objective
• The unions and the workers are able to
achieve their objectives of better
conditions & better pay
DANGER :
The approach accommodates all
Strategies including strikes
Chinua Achebe ‘s Things Fall Apart
‘Eneke nti o ba’ – a bird in Igbo land
says
‘Since men have learnt to shoot
without missing, I have learnt to
fly without perching’
WORDS ON THE MARBLE
“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.
It knows it must run faster than the fastest
lion or it will be killed…… Every morning, a
lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the
slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It
does not matter whether you are a lion or a
gazelle. Whenever the sun comes up , you
had better be running.” – Charlotte Wrestling