CLASH OF CLASS IN INDUSTRIAL CONFLICT: THE CASE OF THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PORT HARCOURT

Abstract

One of the instruments encouraged for industrial-democracy is that of strike. Strike, right from the period of the colonial master and through the emergence of trade unionism, has been used to respond to the petitions of employees. Though, sometimes, it does not depend on wage-determinant as some may argue. Sometimes it is used to prove professional superiority; especially where there are professional bodies coming together with class interest. This then is the case with the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, where there has been continual strife over portfolio, thus between the medicals and the paramedicals. The paper then carried out a survey on the hospital, with data collection of twenty staff; 10 from the paramedicals and 10, from the medicals. Findings observed with Linker’s scale system showed that staff go on strike sometimes to prove the place of class allegiance. The conclusion of the paper then is that workers should learn to isolate their personality from the issue at hand.

Keywords: industrial conflict; clash of class.