Grievance Handling Procedures and Union-Management Relations in Nigeria’s Public Universities: An Analytical Study

This study analytically examines grievance handling procedures and their effect on union-management relations in Nigerian public universities, drawing comparative data from institutions in the South West, North Central, and South South geopolitical zones. Recurrent industrial actions, prolonged ASUU strikes, and persistent workplace tensions in Nigerian universities underscore the urgency of understanding the structural and relational factors that govern academic labour relations. A comparative multi-site analytical design was employed, with data gathered from 255 academic staff, union branch officials, and university management representatives through structured questionnaires and documentary analysis. The study draws on the Pluralist Industrial Relations Model and Ury and Fisher's Principled Negotiation Framework. Findings reveal that universities with well-documented, consistently applied, and jointly reviewed grievance procedures experience significantly fewer escalated industrial disputes and shorter strike durations. The study further identifies a significant analytical gap in existing literature: while procedural justice in grievance handling has been studied in private sector contexts, its application in Nigeria's highly politicized university labour environment, where union officials simultaneously hold academic positions, remains poorly theorized. The dual identity of union leaders, as both employees and adversarial representatives, creates unique procedural tensions not captured in standard grievance models. Recommendations include the development of university-specific grievance procedure templates by the National Universities Commission, joint union-management training on principled negotiation, and an independent university grievance ombudsman role. This study fills a critical empirical and analytical gap in the literature. Keywords: grievance handling, union-management relations, public universities, industrial relations, ASUU