Determinants of labour relations equilibrium in public education sector in Kenya

Abstract

The problem of this study was lack of labour relations equilibrium in the public education sector in Kenya. The purpose of this study was to establish the determinants of labour relations equilibrium in the public education sector in Kenya with a view to instill labour relations harmony to enhance labour productivity and in turn improve performance in the public education sector, achieving economic growth, and enhancing living standards and quality of life. Specifically, the study addressed the following specific objectives, that was, to find out the extent to which knowledge of industrial relations affects labour relations equilibrium in public education sector in Kenya, determine if collective bargaining process affects labour relations equilibrium in public education sector in Kenya, establish whether parties’ recognition in labour relations affects labour relations equilibrium in public education sector in Kenya, determine the effect of attitude among labour relations parties on labour relations equilibrium in public education sector in Kenya, and find out the effect of arbitration mechanisms on labour relations equilibrium in public education sector in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The target population of this study was 326,732 comprising of employers, employees and the ministry of labour employees. The sample was 450 comprising of the university registrars administration and the deputy vice chancellors administration of the 22 public universities in Kenya, TSC staff dealing with employee relations issues, the trade unions executive officers at the national level and the ministry of labour Nairobi office employees. The study used purposive sampling. The research instruments were the questionnaires. Reliability of the survey questionnaire was calculated according to Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and in order to measure the validity of research, content validity was used. To analyze the collected data, descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to test the hypothesis. Statistical software used was SPSS 23. Results obtained showed that there was a significant and positive relationship between the knowledge of industrial relations, collective bargaining process, parties’ recognition in labour relations, attitude among labour relations parties, arbitration mechanisms, and labour relations equilibrium. The study recommended for public education sector labour relations parties to invest in knowledge of industrial relations because enlightened leadership is considered willing to cooperate and participate in managing the sector. Particularly, parties’ recognition in labour relations has to be given first priority because it is the first and foremost step in labour relation and the signed agreement serves as basis for making any decision related to employees. Another area requiring special attention is attitude among labour relations parties’. Proper satisfaction and commitment would inculcate a labour relationship that is free from frequent strikes and stand offs consequently improving the productivity of the sector. Another area requiring special attention is arbitration mechanisms. In most jurisdictions, arbitration is preferred as an alternative to litigation in the courts where proceedings are technically complex. Attention should also be paid to collective bargaining process. This is due to the fact that a flawed process that is perceived to be unfair is likely to result in poor labour relations environment and vice versa.