RETHINKING AND MANAGING CONTEMPORARY GLOBAL INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS TENSIONS: IMPLICATIONS FOR NATIONAL LABOUR POLICY REFORMS

Abstract

One of the objectives of the paper is to analyse the implications of global industrial relations tensions and how to integrate and adapt framework for national policy. The paper argued that, contemporary global industrial relations are undergoing profound transformation as geopolitical fragmentation, technological innovation, platform-mediated work, climate transitions, global supply chain reconfiguration, labour migration, and shifting demographic patterns increasingly reshape the governance of work. While these developments generate new economic opportunities, they simultaneously intensify institutional tensions by exposing the growing
disconnect between rapidly evolving labour market realities and national labour policy frameworks that remain largely rooted in conventional employment models. Anchored in Dunlop's Systems Theory and complemented by institutional and political economy perspectives, the paper critically examines how these tensions reconfigure power relations among the state, employers, organised
labour, and emerging labour market actors. It further demonstrates that resilient industrial relations systems depend upon labour policies capable of integrating flexibility with employment security, economic competitiveness with social justice, and national priorities with evolving international labour standards. Through a comparative analysis of national policy responses in Nigeria, South
Africa, China, and the United Kingdom, the study evaluates labour legislation, collective bargaining institutions, social protection systems, employment regulation frameworks, and tripartite governance structures. The study concludes that adaptive, inclusive, and resilient labour policy frameworks, supported by strong institutions and international cooperation, are essential for promoting sustainable industrial relations systems in an increasingly interconnected global economy.