ABSTRACT:

This research work is on “Remuneration Challenges and Industrial Conflicts in the Anambra State Civil Service system: A mitigation strategy”. The study was motivated by the frequent complaints made by the civil servants over their remuneration and the insensitivity of the Anambra State government in addressing the problem especially against the backdrop of severe economic hardship the country is experiencing. These complaints often snowball into industrial
conflicts in the state. Arising from these complaints, the researcher among other issues investigated the relationship between the mode of determining remuneration and industrial conflicts in the Anambra State Civil Service. Survey research design was adopted in carrying out the research. Data for the study were collected from primary and secondary sources. Five Ministries were chosen out of the existing seventeen Ministries in the state from where a sample
size of 163 respondents was drawn. The data generated were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The descriptive statistics used were mean and standard deviation for the research questions. The hypotheses were tested using chi-square contingency test which is an inferential statistical tool. The findings show that industrial conflicts in the Anambra State Civil Service are consequences of the unilateral mode of determining the remuneration of the workers by the state government. The study further revealed that delays or outright reneging by the state government to implement negotiated remuneration agreements exacerbate industrial conflicts in the Anambra State Civil Service. The researcher therefore recommended a proactive approach to the problem which includes that the State government should embrace collective bargaining as a strategy for determining the wages of the civil servants. Secondly, that the Labour union, of necessity, should push for legislation making it binding for the government to honour negotiated agreement with labour.