Collective bargaining Collective bargaining is a process of negotiations between employers and a group of employees aimed at reaching agreements that

regulate w orking conditions. The interests of the employees are commonly presented by repr esentatives of a trade union to which the employees belong. The collective agree ments reached by these negotiations usually set out wage scales, working hours, training, health and safety, overtime, grievance mechanisms and rights to partic ipate in workplace or company affairs. The union may negotiate with a single employer (who is typic ally representing a company's shareholders) or may negotiate with a group of bus inesses, depending on the country, to reach an industry wide agreement. A collec tive agreement functions as a labor contract between an employer and one or more unions. Collective bargaining consists of the process of negotiation between re presentatives of a union and employers (generally represented by management, in some countries by an employers' organization) in respect of the terms and condit ions of employment of employees, such as wages, hours of work, working condition s and grievance-procedures, and about the rights and responsibilities of trade u nions. The parties often refer to the result of the negotiation as a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) or as a collective employment agreement (CEA).

The phrase of collective bargaining is coined by Sydney and Beatric e webb, according to them it is a method by which trade unions protected band im proved the conditions of their members working lives. CHARACTERISTICS OF COLLECTIVE BARAINING Group Action Flexible and Mobile Two-party process Continues process Dynamic Not a competitive process An art Importance of Collective Bargaining Increase the economic strength of union and management Establish uniform conditions of employment with a view to avoiding industrial di sputes and maintain stable peace in the industry Secure a prompt and fair redressal of grievances Achieve an efficient operation of the plant

Need for Collective Bargaining And why is it so important? Because the right to come together for a voice on the job is not only a fundamental right, it is essential for wor king men and women to have the strength to improve their living standards, provi de for their families and build an American middle class. Collective bargaining enables working people who are union members to negotiate with their employers t o determine their terms of employment, including pay, benefits, hours, leave, jo

b health and safety policies, ways to balance work and family and more. Bottom l ine: It gives working people a voice at the table. Forms of Collective Bargaining Single Plant Bargaining Multiple Plant Bargaining Multiple Employee Bargaining Negotiated by Officers Negotiated by Parties Negotiated on Vountary Basis