Socio-economic relevance of strike actions in ancient Rome and contemporary Nigeria

Abstract

Since the ancient Roman plebeians blazed the trail by embarking on the first general strike in human history to protest the monopolistic rule of patricians in 494B.C., numerous peoples globally have engaged in strike actions to express certain grievances and resist untoward policies of their governments or employers. This is so because it is generally assumed, especially by the masses, that 'the only language of resistance that governments understand is strike'. It is also known that when strikes are embarked upon, there is stoppage of work and services, which result in the paralysis of socio-economic and political activities and sometimes death of individuals. Beyond these various consequences and disorders, this paper examines the dominant causes of strike actions and argues that they (strike actions) are, oftentimes, relevant means of effecting positive socio-economic changes in a polity. Adopting a comparative method of research with an analysis of both ancient end modem authors to substantiate its argument, this paper provides evidence from two republics, far separated by time and space: the ancient Rome (494-287B.C) and contemporary Nigeria (A.D. 1945-2016). It concludes that strike actions are not altogether destructive; rather, they serve as the last resort of masses in attaining equity, fairness, and constructive socio-economic change.