COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AND WORKPLACE CONFLICT REDUCTION IN SELECTED MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between collective bargaining and workplace conflict reduction in selected manufacturing firms in Rivers State, Nigeria. The increasing need to sustain harmonious labour-management relations and minimize workplace conflicts has heightened the importance of effective collective bargaining practices in manufacturing organizations. Collective bargaining was examined using negotiation effectiveness and grievance resolution, while workplace conflict reduction was measured using interpersonal conflict reduction and industrial dispute reduction. The study was anchored on the Industrial Relations Systems Theory and adopted a correlational research design. The population comprised 582 management and non-management employees drawn from 10 purposively selected manufacturing firms in Rivers State, Nigeria, with a sample size of 234 determined using the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) sample size determination table. A total of 234 copies of the questionnaire were distributed; 223 (95.30%) were successfully retrieved, 11 (4.70%) were not returned, none (0.00%) was invalid, and 223 (95.30%) were used for analysis. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMCC) at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that negotiation effectiveness and grievance resolution had significant positive relationships with interpersonal conflict reduction and industrial dispute reduction. The study concludes that effective collective bargaining enhances workplace conflict reduction and recommends strengthening labour-management dialogue, grievance resolution mechanisms, and employee participation to sustain industrial peace and organizational effectiveness.