ABSTRACT
In recent times the issue of Health workers going on strike is becoming worrisome, and rampart to the extent that if on section of the workforce does not go on strike for one demand or the other section may go and it occurs always.
During the period of these strikes, the losses suffered by the workers, patients and management are usually enormous when quantified in lost revenue, man hours and unavailability of medical service.
AT UNTH, Enugu, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other professionals have at one time or the other gone on strike as a result of certain demands. When government ignores them, the strike will be extended as there is no platform for negotiation with the aim of reaching amicable settlement.
The drive and urgent need to put a stop to these unwholesome incidents, made the writer decides to dig into the strategies for promoting good industrial relationships.
About 90% of the disharmony and strike bothered on remunerations and the other 10% on the other Sundry matters. Most importantly is the managements inability to meet her personal cost requirements to the workers as and when due and also inability to source money to pay for approved increases in salaries and allowances or in certain cases outright diversion of funds earmarked for a particular purpose. Others borders on delay in implementing agreed decisions before suspension of strike, variance objectives between management and staff, incessant sale of hospital equipment to outsides instead of the workers, lack of good working environment and dissatisfaction with personnel officer in charge of circular interpretation and implementation.
When the strike last longer, management will lose revenue, experience diminished activities, workers sometimes become restive and at times violent, when salaries are withheld, patients will be hurriedly discharge and will be made to
pay high fees at private clinics, the government will be under pressure to resort normally to save lives.
However, with collective bargaining improvement in conditions of service, prompt payment of salaries and allowances and the assumption of labour friendly relationship and the willingness to quickly implement agreed decision and more importantly have a way of communicating management decisions to the workers to avoid rumor mongering that may at times be damaging, or lead to strike, will greatly ensure good industrial relation and strike free health sector.
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
1.1 INDUSTRIAL RELATION:
This means the relationship between employers and employees in course of employment in industrial organizations.
However, the concept of industrial relations has a broader meaning. In a broad sense, the term industrial relations includes the relationship- between the various Unions, between the state and the Unions as well as those between the various employers and the government Relationship of all those associated in an industry may be called Industrial Relations.
Industrial Relation is that part of management which is concerned with the manpower of the enterprise – whether machine operator, skilled worker or manager.
Industrial Relation is a relation between employer and employees, employees and trade Unions (Industrial dispute Act 1947).
1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE SYUDY
Recently, there has been a strike not only in the Health Sector, but in other sectors of the economy for various reasons ranging from agitation to improvement in the conditions of service, enhanced welfare packages including training and staff development, creation of safety environment for work and adequate retirement benefits etc.
According to labour decree No 21 of (1974) as amended in 1978 the Nigerian Industrial system was based on the philosophy of voluntarism, said to be applied to develop independent strong trade unions and free collective bargaining in employment regulations. The practice however had some degree of state guidance because of the low level of experience during those early years of Nigerians in inter-organizational relations in determining employment conditions. The system, at any rate maintained a reasonable degree of national industrial peace, at least without conflict in the work place. In spite of the desire of all the stakeholders to maintain industrial peace, there is nevertheless latent antagonism among them due to the following factors.
Firstly, the interest of both the employer and the employees are not completely mutual. Management may be trying to put down costs while demanding commitment and hard work from workers, while the workers may be seeking increase in wages and other financial related benefits.
The management will be preoccupied with using money for other capital jobs and providing other equipment to increase and enhance out put, while workers and the union will be preoccupied in attracting more pay and other fringe benefits to the workers, to enhance the material, economic, spiritual and psychological needs.
Secondly, the desires of the parties are more or less unlimited. Wages can never be as high as workers desire, while the money available are contending with other projects apart from increments in wages, and are therefore limited both in the short and long run.
Moreover, both modern and developing societies are dynamic, consequently even if a certain distribution of income and power could be devised which was not subject to controversy in any give n situation, there might be changes in regulations and laws by the government, high cost of living occasioned by increases in prices of goods and services, depreciation of value of comparable group elsewhere, the parties would therefore, need to look for a new allocation of income and incentives. (Section 314 of Trade Union decree of 1978).
Finally, if management and labour are to retain their institutional identities, they must agree and act on the agreement, where the union allows itself to be manipulated by the management, then it has ceased to be a credible union, the same is applicable to management.
Effort will therefore be made in this study to determine the strategies for promoting good industrial relations, especially as it concerns health workers at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu.
1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The health sector being a very important sector in any economy needs to be well managed to ensure qualitative and accessible health care delivery system. Adequate incentive s and attractive conditions of services must prevail to guarantee this service.
Meanwhile, the government has recognized the important role of the health sector and moved to put all the necessary and attractive conditions in place for the sector to function effectively and efficient.
However, the government’s efforts have sometimes fallen short of the expectation of workers in the health sector. This is based on the fact that most of the health workers are professionally qualified and they recognized the essence of their profession to the society. They include the doctors, pharmacists, laboratory technologist, physiotherapist, dietitians, nurses etc.
There is an unhealthy competition between the doctors and other groups as each group claims superiority over another and would want to have the cutting edge in terms of remuneration over others, while the other groups claim that the doctors cannot work in isolation, doctors believe that the hospitals are their primary constituency. And other health workers have accused the government of over pampering the doctors to the detriment of other stakeholders in the health sector.
The supremacy struggle has being unbearable to the government as salary and allowances awarded by the government to one group leaving out to the other always result in withdrawal of services by other groups. This has so much effect both economically and humanly have been enormous, both to the government and the stakeholders (UNTH News – Quarterly reports (2000: 4-6).
The effect is that, there will be low level of internal generated revenue by the hospital during this period. The basic services and materials that need to be recycled or replaced are left unattended to, also patients were hurriedly discharged in order to enable them seek medical help elsewhere. The government may also come down hard on the striking workers by invoking no work no pay “rule caps
432 of labour Trade Dispute Act after negotiation has not yielded any headway, in addition to other sanctions.
The sustenance of industrial peace, through the protection of the interest of all stakeholders, the ability and dexterity of the government to maintain peace and progressive actions of settling disputes amicably is the chief question in the mind of the researcher.
These situations form the basis of the research work, with the ultimate aim of promoting good industrial relation in the health sector.
1.4 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The main objective of the research work his to avoid all forms of industrial conflict so as to ensure industrial peace by providing better living and working standards for the workers in the health sector with emphasis on UNTH ITUKU OZALA in Enugu to promote good industrial relation.
The study will concentrate mainly on
• Identifying the causes of conflict in university of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, (UNTH) Enugu.
• The effect of the industrial disputes to the government, management of the hospital, patients and other health workers.
• Seek strategies for resolving the conflict as well as situation for not only promoting industrial peace but sustaining it over a period to stand the test of time.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The health sector has been a theatre of strikes, lockouts and placard carrying by the various stakeholders, including the retires.
This obviously has made the government objective of providing qualitative health care a mirage as all efforts by the relevant agencies had not made the required impact for effective delivery of hospital services.
A critical study of this issue has become important in order to find a lasting solution to the problem as we all agree that a healthy nation is wealthy nation.
It is hope that the study will bring a very deep analysis into the causes of the disputes and suggest ways of resolving and promoting industrial harmony. This will also avail government, management and workers union the premise to rely on, in maintaining good industrial relation.
1.6 RESEARCH QUESTION
In order to carryout the substantial investigation into finding out substantial ways of promoting good industrial relation, the following research questions will guide the study:
• What are the major causes of industrial disputes in the University of Nigeria
Teaching Hospital, Ituku Ozalla (UNTH), Enugu
• What are the effects of industrial action when embarked upon by a section of
UNTH work force on the government, the management and the work force?
• What are the ways and means of resolving, and promoting good industrial peace and cordial relationship in the hospital?
1.7 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS
The ways of promoting good industrial relation have become a vital issue in running the affairs of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital by the management. The study is necessary in order to ensure a peaceful, un-interrupted medical health care delivery to the citizenry. The causes and effects as well as
strategies for promoting good industrial relations were x-rayed analyzed and summarized.
The responsibilities and obligation of all the major stakeholders were also highlighted in order to ensure industrial peace in teaching hospitals, since the consequences have been very disastrous both to the management, doctors, nurses and other health workers as well as the public in general.
The limitations are essentially that of bureaucracy, time, finance and poor co-operative attitude of some operational staff.
This material content is developed to serve as a GUIDE for students to conduct academic research
PROMOTION OF GOOD INDUSTRIAL RELATION IN ORGANIZATION IN CASE STUDY OF UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIAN TEACHING HOSPITAL ITUKU OZALLA ENUGU STATE
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