Following the positions taken by previous researchers and the findings associated with this study,

it is evident, that collective bargaining is an important factor for industrial harmony. However, the
machinery has performed relatively poorly due to the nature of the employer with its attribute of
being omnipotent and ubiquitous. This strongly justifies the Marxist theory adopted for this study
especially on the grounds that the management of SPDC displays the capitalist agenda of
exploitation of labour and as such maintain an ideology that is antithetical harmonious labour
relations. The study therefore concludes that the effective practice of collective bargaining
processes and machinery holds the promise of achieving stability and regularity in SPDC through
procedural and substantive rules with the objective of ensuring credible mechanism for peaceful
resolution of labour conflicts which would inevitably lead to harmony in SPDC. It is also the conclusion
of this study that there can be no doubt that the real cause of most strikes in SPDC is either
the non-payment of wages or non-enforcement of collective agreements. Even where an
agreement has been duly entered between the unions after bargaining, the workers may be
constrained to embark on industrial action by the very fact of the failure on the part of SPDC
management to honour and or keep to the terms of the agreement.

From the above documentary analysis, it could be seen that Collective bargaining is not always an
efficient mechanism for resolving conflicts in industries. The Federal Government has not fully applied
all the collective agreement they reached with the Nigeria labour congress. Ramm (1971:155) has
observed in relation to the German system of industrial relations (which has the combination of state
intervention, collective bargaining process and system of work council), that the concept of efficiency
includes more than the mere working of the system, as all systems will more or less work, whether
Anglo-Saxon (British) model or German model or Communist model of Industrial relations. He said that
subjectively, efficiency means the confidence of all persons whom it affects - for example, whether
employers, employees and union, believe in the usefulness of the system and are on the whole satisfied
with the manner in which it operates. Or, it may be defined objectively as covering all labour disputes,
for example, the impact the system has on incidence of strikes, lockouts, and other form of industrial
action. One important criterion of efficiency of dispute settlement in Nigeria, or at least confidence in
the system, is the fact that both employers and union are willing to submit their issues for adjudication
and to abide by the awards and decision handed down. In the case of there is divergence between
government’s avowed commitment to collective bargaining and its disregard of the resolutions reached.
Therefore it cannot be said that collective bargaining is always an efficient mechanism for resolving
conflict in industries. Secondly, successful bargaining between management and workers depends on
the relative ability of the parties to abide by the agreements reached. We see that the collective
agreements reached between the Federal Government and the labour union has not been abided to
completely by the Federal Government. One of the conditions of a successful collective bargaining,
which we highlighted, was that it must be honoured by the parties’ involved- (Ubeku 1983: 131). But the
Federal Government has always shifted away from keeping to their agreement with labour. She pays
the piper and therefore must dictate the tune. This means therefore that any bargain involving the
Federal Government that does not favor them will not be implemented nor be honoured. Thirdly,
Collective bargaining in industries is affected by the nature of the state. Like we argued in the theoretical
framework, the role the government plays in any state in determined by nature of the state. This is
because the government, which is an institution of the State, is an apparatus of the ruling class. The role
the government plays in collective bargaining is to the interest of the ruling class. It means therefore,
that the use of collective bargaining in industries is affected by this role. They can decide to honour any
agreement if it favors the state or may decide to throw it out if it does not favor them. They can afford
to play on the process of collective bargaining because, like we earlier stated, they possess the power to
dominate decisions. They represent the force wielded collectively by the dominant groups in the
opposition and makes it appearance in society through the various arms of government and the
institutions of control such as the army, police and so on. While the government presents itself as
neutral, it has covertly placed some obstacles in the bargaining process. This could be seen in the area
of wage determination, income guidelines, promulgation of decrees and repressive laws, arbitrary
increase in price of essential items and so on. Because it is an institution for state control, it does not
only watch what goes on in the bargaining process but it finally determines what is adopted.

An attempt has been made in this study through a case study research to assess how collective
bargaining can be employed as a strategy for industrial conflict management relations at the
workplace generally. A critical look at the respondents' views has amplydemonstrated that
collective bargaining has gained prominent degree of recognition as an effective approach to
conflict management and industrial harmony not only in the literature but also in practice. This
agrees with Ubeku (1985) and Fashoyin (1992) findings that strike is destructive both to the
employers, employees and the society at large, leading to decrease in productivity, loss of
contract year, loss of profit resulting from loss of revenue, net earnings and idle equipment. As
such, every university could employ collective bargaining in managing industrial conflict as it create
room for divergent interest of the actors to be put forward for discussion in a round table
conference with the aim of integrating them or coming out with lasting solution to the conflict(s).
Also, this study revealed that the breach of collective agreement contributes significantly to
industrial conflict in Federal University of Technology, Minna. This was because the majority of
the respondents in the six (6) variables confirmed to this assertion.

Universities or any other government and private institutions with an open, sound, qualitative
and effective collective bargaining system, has a strong cornerstone of activities and vital strategic
practice that will facilitate genuine relationships among its’ industrial actors which in essence is
appropriate for the achievement of organizational goal and gaining of organizational competitive
advantage. This study shows that effective collective bargaining as an instrument for the
management and resolution of conflict enhances university effectiveness inmanaging conflict, which
in turn brings about stable relationship among actors in the university and thus enhance
employees’ and organizational productivity. Universities and other institutions should therefore
adopt conflict acceptance strategy and focus on its effective resolution strategies to convert the
manifestation of conflict into benefits for their organizations. Above all, universities should give
priority to collective bargaining technique and process in the organization to ensure a quality
negotiation system which is capable of building positive relationship between them and their
workforce and therefore bring about greater chance of achieving organizational goal. Universities
should be proactive in recognizing certain barriers that may pose threat to collective bargaining
processes and strive to eliminate such barriers in order to facilitate genuine negotiation among
their members in the workplace irrespective of positions, interests, and preferences. Consequently,
because effective collective bargaining is an important phenomenon to proper functioning of the
university, management and unions are to maintain and promote quality practices in this area, if
they want to bring about sustainable development in their school.