COPING STRATEGY OF UNIVERSITY HOST COMMUNITIES DURING INDUSTRIAL ACTION: NIGER DELTA UNIVERSITY IN VIEW

Abstract

Industrial actions are complex social problems with debilitating socio-economic consequences on an organisation and its host communities. Notwithstanding this, a number of studies have neglected the coping mechanisms employed by host communities to deal with industrial strikes, focusing solely on the effects of labour disputes on workers and production. This study therefore investigates how host communities deal with industrial activities at the Niger Delta University (NDU). The latency theory served as the framework, while a cross-sectional research design was employed. Amassoma and Ogobiri communities were purposively selected for the study due to their proximity to NDU. A total sample of 418 respondents (aged ≥18 years) were selected, using Yamane’s (1965) sample size determination formula. Simple random sampling was used to administer a structured questionnaire to respondents in the selected host communities. Twelve In-Depth Interviews and six Focus Group Discussion sessions were held among business owners, farmers, landlords, commercial motorcyclists, and students to complement: the quantitative data. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while the qualitative data were content-analyzed. Findings from the study indicated that location change, occupation change, involvement in social vices, partying, etc were the main coping strategies adopted by members of host communities to deal with industrial actions at the Niger Delta University. The study, therefore, concluded that industrial actions affected host communities negatively. It is thus recommended that members of the host communities seek alternative vocational skills as livelihood sources to reduce the likely impact of NDU labour actions.