CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1      BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Labour in general, could be defined as the human efforts of any kind, manual or mental, skilled or unskilled, scientific or artistic. It is the human knowledge transformed into activity that gives utilities or values to all commodities.
It is a man who cultivates land whether he uses hoe or tractor. It is the same man who sows, weed, harvest, process, stores and sell. Every single endeavour here on earth has man's finger print. All these human efforts which are vital to production are called LABOUR. The productivity of a worker would be a function of the amount of effort a man can put forward in a given period of time and skill. When we talk of productivity, we mean the increased efficiency and the rate of which goods are produced, while labour is the bodily and mental work.
Welfare services are so enormous and numerous. This can be defined as the added advantage or support given to the workers by the employer or the company at large. This can be described as the Canteen Services, Financial Support, Educational Financial Support, Transport Facilities, Medical Facilities, Maternity Benefits, Gratuity Scheme, Employment Provident Fund, Compensation Scheme, Recreational Benefits, etc.
The Coinage of the term Industrial Relation is originally traceable to the historical circumstances of British industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe. It should be remembered that the industrial revolution was accompanied by a breakdown of the manorial system and serfdom, i.e. person client relationship that was tied to the tradition land ownership in the form of the employment contract between the workers and the employer. Workers exploitation through a regime of oppressive or horrifying wages: poor organization climate, poor quality of working life. The inherent profit motivation of capitalist, employers of their surrogates (e.g. manager) on the other hand and primary reward and job satisfaction interest if ranks and file employees.
Industrial relation is the study of employment relationship that is between workers and management or employer. Here are some of their definitions by different authors:-
Beatrice Webb (1890): defines industrial relation as whole web of human interaction at work which is predicated upon and arise out of employment contact.
UBEKU (1982): defines industrial relation as a resolution of industrial conflicts.
HYMAN (1975): opines that industrial relation as a process of control over work relation and among their process, those involving works organization and of a particular concern.
When we talk of economic depression, it means a situation whereby the employment phase falls, economic meltdown, but the rate of fall gradually decreases until the circle through is reached. Economic depression of a country is the devaluation of currency. High level of unemployment rate in any economy is a state or period of economic depression.
The value of labour to an employer varies with the marginal productivity of the worker. This is the additional contribution which the last worker makes to the employer's output. Marginal productivity of labour must be equal to the wages rate if the product rises, all other things being equal and employer of labour will be able to employ more labour. The marginal productivity of labour will be affected by the following factors:-
a)                 The natural ability of labourer's efficiency and training.
b)                The equipment with which the worker works will also be determined by the marginal productivity of labour, where modern and suitable equipment are used, labour is likely to have a high marginal productivity
c)               The conditions of demand for the product which labour produces will also affect marginal productivity of labour. If the demand for the product increases, the employer will employ more labour force adding more to earnings and loss of production. This will affect the overall demand for labour and its marginal productivity.