Industrial Relations, Labour Productivity and National Development in Nigeria: The Roles of Labour Unions in Nigeria
Industrial Relations, Labour Productivity and National Development in
Nigeria: The Roles of Labour Unions in Nigeria
By:
Abbas Bashir
Department of Geography
Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola
E-mail: bashirmafindi@yahoo.com
Abstract:
The aim of this Paper is to briefly examine historical and conceptual bases of industrial relations and the role of labour unions in the process of national development in Nigeria. In doing so we regard Industrial Relation (IR) as an essential part of management systems and try to examine what in our mind are the links between Industrial Relations, Labour, labour productivity and their influence on the process of national development in Nigeria.
Introduction
The history of industrial relations as a formal field of academic endeavor in the social sciences dates back to the early 1920s in North America; to the late 1940s in the United Kingdom, and one to two decades later in many other countries. As an identifiable area of academics, the roots of industrial relations as a field of study extend far back into the nineteenth century
(Kaufman 2010). Many researchers have attempted to identify the fundamental principles that distinguish the subject matter of industrial relations from other labour fields.
Originally, the Industrial Relation (IR) paradigm regarded employment relationship as the core concern of Industrial Relations study. From the
1950’s, most IR academics increasingly narrowed the focus of the field to trade unions and collective forms of workforce governance (Adams 1993). More recently the focus is ones more shifting back to the broader employment relationship (e.g., Kochan 1998; Edwards 2005; Heery et al. 2008). A look at the IR literature therefore suggests that the IR field has not yet settled on what represents its core organizing principle or concept which makes IR
1
analysis rather a complicated matter. This notwithstanding, it is a fact that industrial relations as a social and political activity
Nigeria: The Roles of Labour Unions in Nigeria
By:
Abbas Bashir
Department of Geography
Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola
E-mail: bashirmafindi@yahoo.com
Abstract:
The aim of this Paper is to briefly examine historical and conceptual bases of industrial relations and the role of labour unions in the process of national development in Nigeria. In doing so we regard Industrial Relation (IR) as an essential part of management systems and try to examine what in our mind are the links between Industrial Relations, Labour, labour productivity and their influence on the process of national development in Nigeria.
Introduction
The history of industrial relations as a formal field of academic endeavor in the social sciences dates back to the early 1920s in North America; to the late 1940s in the United Kingdom, and one to two decades later in many other countries. As an identifiable area of academics, the roots of industrial relations as a field of study extend far back into the nineteenth century
(Kaufman 2010). Many researchers have attempted to identify the fundamental principles that distinguish the subject matter of industrial relations from other labour fields.
Originally, the Industrial Relation (IR) paradigm regarded employment relationship as the core concern of Industrial Relations study. From the
1950’s, most IR academics increasingly narrowed the focus of the field to trade unions and collective forms of workforce governance (Adams 1993). More recently the focus is ones more shifting back to the broader employment relationship (e.g., Kochan 1998; Edwards 2005; Heery et al. 2008). A look at the IR literature therefore suggests that the IR field has not yet settled on what represents its core organizing principle or concept which makes IR
1
analysis rather a complicated matter. This notwithstanding, it is a fact that industrial relations as a social and political activity
References: Adams, Roy (1993): All Aspects of People at Work: Unity and Division in the Study of Labour and Labour Management Adebis, M. A. (2013): History and Development of Industrial Relations in Nigeria: Hybridity of Western Models Versus Military Interventionism Culture. at the 44th Annual Conference of the Nigerian Economic Society (NES), May 14, 2007. Kaufman, B. E. (2010): The Theoretical Foundation of Industrial Relations and its Implications for Labour Economics 1, October, 2010, Cornel University. Edwards, Paul (2005): “The Employment Relationship and the Field of Industrial Relations.” In P Englama, A. (2001): “Unemployment concepts and Issues,” Bullion, Central Bank of Nigeria, Oct/Dec. Ernold Wehmhoerner (1992): A welcome address; in Joseph Ko Tee (1992), A collection of Seminar Papers from Tripartite Forum, held on 13/9/1992, Heery Edmund, Nick Bacon, Paul Blyton, and Jack Fiorito (2008). Introduction: The Field of Industrial Relations.” In Paul Blyton, Nick Bacon, Jack Fiorito, Kaufman, B. E. (2004a): The Global Evolution of Industrial Relations: Events, Ideas, and the IIRA Kochan, Thomas (1998): “What is Distinctive about Industrial Relations Research?” In Keith Whitfield and George Strauss, eds., Researching the World Ubeku, A. K. (1983): Industrial Relations in Developing Countries: The Case of Nigeria