SOCIAL DIALOGUE AND INDUSTRIAL HARMONY AMONG MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between social dialogue and industrial harmony among employees of selected manufacturing firms in Rivers State, Nigeria. The increasing incidence of workplace grievances, labour disputes, and strained employer-employee relationships within the manufacturing sector has heightened the need for effective social dialogue mechanisms that promote industrial harmony. Social dialogue was examined using employee participation and collective bargaining, while industrial harmony was measured using conflict reduction and employee cooperation. The study was anchored on the Pluralist Theory of Industrial Relations and supported by the Systems Theory of Industrial Relations. A correlational research design was adopted. The population comprised 285 employees drawn from 10 selected manufacturing firms in Rivers State, Nigeria, with a sample size of 165 respondents determined using the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) sample size determination table. From the 165 questionnaires administered, 156 were successfully retrieved and analyzed. 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 employee participation had strong positive and statistically significant relationships with conflict reduction and employee cooperation. Similarly, collective bargaining was found to have strong positive and statistically significant relationships with conflict reduction and employee cooperation. The study concludes that effective social dialogue significantly enhances industrial harmony among manufacturing firms in Rivers State, Nigeria. It recommends that manufacturing firms strengthen employee participation through inclusive decision-making, institutionalize effective collective bargaining practices, establish regular labour-management consultation forums, and periodically evaluate social dialogue mechanisms to sustain conflict reduction, employee cooperation, and harmonious industrial relations.