TRADE UNIONISM AND EMPLOYEE WELFARE OF ACADEMIC STAFF UNION OF UNIVERSITIES IN FEDERAL UNIVERSITY LOKOJA KOGI STATE

ABSTRACT This study examines the effect of trade unionism on employee welfare, focusing on the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at Federal University Lokoja, Kogi State. It explores three key dimensions of union activity collective bargaining, grievance procedures, and industrial actions and their influence on the welfare of academic staff. The study adopts a survey research design with data collected through structured questionnaires administered to 204 academic staff, of which 160 were validly returned. Descriptive statistics and linear regression analysis were used to test three hypotheses. The findings reveal that collective bargaining has a statistically significant and positive effect on employee welfare (p < 0.05), indicating its effectiveness in improving salary structures and working conditions. Similarly, grievance procedures significantly contribute to employee welfare (p < 0.05), reflecting the importance of accessible and structured mechanisms for conflict resolution. Furthermore, ASUU’s industrial actions were found to be an effective strategy for advocating staff welfare (p < 0.05), though often constrained by delayed government responses and non-implementation of agreements. The study concludes that trade unionism plays a vital role in promoting employee welfare in public universities. It recommends improved government commitment to implementing agreements, institutionalizing efficient grievance handling systems, and fostering sustained dialogue between unions and policymakers to enhance the academic environment.