IMPACT OF STRICK ON ACADEMIC STAFF PERFORMANCE. A STUDY OF ATBU BAUCHI

ABSTRACT Strikes have remained a recurrent feature in Nigeria’s industrial relations system, particularly within the education sector where the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) frequently engages in industrial action to press home demands for improved welfare, funding, and working conditions. This study examines the impact of strike on workers, with specific reference to the ASUU, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) chapter. The research investigates how prolonged industrial actions affect the welfare, morale, productivity, and financial stability of university staff, while also considering broader implications for institutional performance. Both primary and secondary data were employed, with questionnaires administered to academic staff and supplemented by documentary sources such as ASUU communiqués, government negotiation records, and existing literature. The findings reveal that while strikes serve as an effective bargaining tool in drawing government attention to the plight of workers, they also impose significant socio-economic costs on staff, including delayed salaries, disruption of academic progression, and increased psychological stress. Furthermore, the study highlights the adverse ripple effects on students, research output, and university-community relations. It concludes that although strikes remain a powerful instrument for labor unions, their recurrent use underscores the need for sustainable dialogue mechanisms, mutual trust, and improved labor-management relations. Recommendations include the institutionalization of a binding collective bargaining framework, enhanced government responsiveness, and innovative conflict resolution approaches to reduce the frequency and disruptive consequences of strikes in Nigerian universities.