PICKETING AND WORKPLACE FRUSTRATION OF OIL AND GAS FIRMS IN RIVERS STATE

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between picketing and workplace frustration of oil and gas firms in Rivers State, Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to investigate the relationship between informational picketing and perceived work obstacles; to determine the relationship between persuasive picketing and job dissatisfaction; and to assess the relationship between recognition picketing and emotional strain of oil and gas firms in Rivers State. The study was anchored on the Frustration-Aggression Theory. A correlational survey research design was adopted. The population comprised 198 management staff drawn from 22 registered oil servicing firms in Rivers State, with data collected from 182 managers and supervisors using a structured questionnaire. Spearman's rank order correlation was used for data analysis. The results revealed a moderate, positive, and statistically significant relationship between informational picketing and perceived work obstacles; a strong, positive, and statistically significant relationship between persuasive picketing and job dissatisfaction; and a strong, positive, and statistically significant relationship between recognition picketing and emotional strain. The findings underscore that as workers' experiences of workplace obstacles, dissatisfaction, and emotional strain intensify, their engagement in progressively more assertive forms of picketing increases correspondingly. The study concludes that unresolved workplace frustration is a critical driver of picketing behaviour in the oil and gas sector, and that proactive frustration-management strategies are vital for sustaining industrial harmony. It was recommended among others that management should institute accessible and credible grievance-resolution mechanisms to address perceived work obstacles before they escalate into informational picketing.