Trade Union Activities and Collective Bargaining Outcomes in the Nigerian Education Sector: A Study of the Academic Staff Union of Universities

This study examines the influence of trade union activities and collective bargaining processes on employment outcomes in the Nigerian education sector, with specific focus on the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and its negotiations with the Federal Government of Nigeria. ASUU's recurring industrial actions have disrupted Nigerian university academic calendars significantly in recent years, raising critical questions about the structure and effectiveness of collective bargaining in the sector. The study employs a qualitative research design, drawing on documentary analysis of collective bargaining agreements, government white papers, and court orders, supplemented by semi-structured interviews with 20 ASUU branch officials and Federal Ministry of Education representatives. Flanders's Oxford Approach to Industrial Relations and the Pluralist Theory of Employment Relations provide the theoretical framework. Findings reveal that the protracted nature of ASUU-government negotiations reflects deep institutional deficits in Nigeria's public sector collective bargaining infrastructure, including non-implementation of previously negotiated agreements and absence of effective dispute resolution mechanisms. The study also establishes that strike actions, while temporarily effective in securing negotiated concessions, create compounding welfare and academic costs that undermine the sector's long-term effectiveness. Recommendations include the establishment of a statutory tripartite education employment council, binding arbitration mechanisms for university salary disputes, and annual review mechanisms for collective agreements. This research contributes critical HRM and labour relations evidence to Nigeria's higher education governance discourse. Keywords: Trade Unions, Collective Bargaining, ASUU, University, Industrial Relations.