Assessment Of Industrial Unrest Interventions Strategies On Organizational Performance: A Case Of Mumias Sugar Company

Abstract

Industrial labor unrest has for a long time been a major issue for most organizations all over the world. When employees within an organization persistently fail to realize their work goals and objectives in life that are tied to their work place, then they tend to develop negative attitudes towards their work and on the employer. This study sought to establish the influence of industrial intervention strategies on organizational performance. It specifically assessed at Mumias Sugar Company as this is one company that has had a notable decrease in industrial unrest cases in the last 5 years. The problem statement was that Industrial unrest intervention strategies have been known to counter cases of industrial unrest in organizations but their influence on organizational performance has not been measured and; exactly which intervention strategies work best for the organization as well as the employee. The purpose of the study was to assess the industrial unrest interventions on organizational performance. The objectives of the study were: To determine the causes of industrial unrest; to determine the impact of employee welfare facilities on the organizational performance; to examine the influence of working conditions on the organizational performance; to establish the influence of managerial policies on the organizational performance and; to establish the influence of industrial unrest intervention strategies used on organizational performance of Mumias Sugar Company. Research questions and hypothesis were formulated to guide the researcher. The Contagion of Industrial Conflict Theories were adopted for the study where the  bargaining theory focuses on the interactions between professional negotiators for employers and employees; the  mobilization theory focuses on the decisions of workers to participate in industrial conflict and; the comparative approach focuses on economic and social -political institutions. A conceptual framework was developed which guided the study in literature review and data collection. Related literature was reviewed and conclusions drawn and a gap identified. Causal-comparative research design was adopted for this study as the study sought to understand the causes of the industrial unrest in MSC. The study area was Mumias Sugar Company and the target population was 1938 at the time of the study. Morgan and Krejcie’s formula for sample size determination was used to calculate the sample size of 321respondents. The study employed purposive and simple random sampling techniques to select the respondents where there was 1 top level manager, 5 middle level managers and 309 respondents who participated in the study.  The study used both quantitative and qualitative data from primary and secondary sources where questionnaires and interviews were used to collect primary data while document analysis was used to collect secondary data. The instruments were pilot tested and their validity and reliability verified. Data was collected, coded and entered into the SPSS program for analysis. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. The findings from the study indicated that the major forms of industrial unrest experienced by MSC were strikes and the main cause for this was un-compromise of terms and conditions of employment. The study concluded that industrial unrest intervention strategies employed at MSC did not only address the issue of unrest but also enhanced performance of the organization. The recommendations of the study were that organizations should address causes of unrest and formulate appropriate policies. These policies should target both the organization and the employee to enhance performance. The study also made suggestions for further studies.

Key Words: Industrial unrest intervention strategies, Organization performance, Mumias Sugar Company