Assessment of Industrial Relations Practices in Technical Education Institutions in Imo State

This study assesses industrial relations practices in technical education institutions in Imo State, South East Nigeria. Technical institutions frequently experience tensions between management and teaching staff over conditions of service, welfare, workload, and professional recognition. Poor industrial relations contribute to staff turnover, strike actions, and reduced instructional quality, undermining institutional effectiveness. A descriptive survey design is employed, engaging 80 teaching staff, 20 union representatives, and 15 institutional managers from polytechnics and technical colleges in Owerri, Orlu, and Okigwe local government areas. A structured questionnaire measures the quality of industrial relations along dimensions including grievance handling, collective bargaining, communication, and management responsiveness. Descriptive statistics and independent t-tests compare staff and management perceptions. Findings are expected to reveal significant perception gaps, with staff reporting inadequate welfare provisions and poor grievance resolution, while managers cite fiscal constraints. The study also examines the relationship between industrial relations quality and teacher absenteeism and commitment. Recommendations include joint consultative committees at the institutional level, structured grievance resolution procedures, and management training in human relations skills. This study contributes to human resource management research in Nigerian technical education and provides an evidence base for improving staff-management relations and institutional stability in Imo State. Keywords: industrial relations, technical education institutions, Imo State, staff management, vocational education