Collective Bargaining Between Employees and Employers in Nigeria: Issues and Benefits

Abstract
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Without some degree of harmony between the management and the employees, no organization can operate at its maximum production level. Collective bargaining has been recognized as a beneficial method for proactively addressing concerns and emergent matters in industrial groups, despite the consensus among researchers that conflict in social situations such as industries is inevitable. In contrast to the aforementioned, this study tries to investigate the problems and benefits in Nigerian collective bargaining between employees and employers. The particular goals were to determine what prevents efficient collective bargaining, evaluate what causes industrial strikes, and determine the necessity and benefits of collective negotiation. Thus, relying on the fundamental premises of the Chamberlain model of collective bargaining, the paper revealed that, concerns about a better pay package, among other terms and conditions of employment contracts, are the major topical issues of debate in collective bargaining but that governments' hostility towards trade unionism and failure or prolonged delay to implement collective agreements cause the employees to resort to strike actions to justify the cost of undermining them. Because it is believed that ongoing, fruitful engagement/discussion on important issues and benefits will be helpful to prevent industrial strike action, the paper recommended increased participation of more people in the collective bargaining process as well as effective communication of the outcome of collective bargaining to the union staff. Union members were also advised to follow through with the resolutions of collective bargaining agreements in order to avoid slip-ups and further damage to industrial harmony within organizations.