Causes of labour agitation or unrest among industrial and commercial workers in Ghana

Abstract

A lot of researches have been conducted to find out the causes of labour unrest in many organisations in Ghana. However, little has been explored in the area of Industrial and Commercial Workers’ Union in Ghana. It is for this purpose that the research was conducted to investigate the main causes of labour unrest among members of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union. The descriptive survey designed was employed for the study. The multi-sampling procedures (simple random, purposive and convenience) were used to sample 31 management staff and 48 workers/factory hands from four manufacturing companies in the Tema Metropolis. These sampling techniques were used in order to elicit specific information from respondents who have in-depth knowledge on the issue under study. The questionnaire and the structured interview guide were the instruments used in the collection of the primary data. The descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data. The study from both management and employees’ perspectives found that the main causes leading to labour unrest in their organisations are wage increment, delay in negotiation of collective bargaining agreement, unfair dismissal of worker/union official, and inflexible working arrangement. Also, as part of the effects of labour unrest on employees who lose income, they are also faced with strong stigmatisation. It was concluded that, the causes take the form of lack of both tangible and intangible materials that play critical roles on the welfare of employees. The study recommended that management should therefore be proactive in dealing with matters related to causing labour agitations.