Collective Bargaining is a method by which trade unions protected and improved the conditions for their members working lives. In the old economy it was a process of sharing governance with the management, which often adopted an unhelpful and unsympathetic attitude to workers demands. This further influenced regulation and resultantly brought out about a change in contractual agreements and working conditions of labour. Thus it fulfilled both an economic and political function.
However the liberalization of the Indian economy and the advent of global competition is forcing companies to shed their adversarial approach and work towards building cooperative relations with labour. This book reviews the response of collective bargaining to challenges of globalization and the restructuring of enterprises in India. Based on the survey and study of about 220 collective bargaining agreements in the public and private sector in India since 1991 to date, this volume discusses the legal framework of collective bargaining in India. It discusses agreements, which provide for different kinds of flexibility, promote productivity and usher in workplace improvements. It deals with the emerging trends towards negotiated flexibility at the enterprise level and other corresponding changes in the old framework. It also highlights the special features of public sector bargaining and the role of collective bargaining in social security.
This timely book goes beyond providing mere analyses and understanding of these emerging trends. It discusses the implications of these trends for managers, workers, trade unions and the state and also suggests a 10-point agenda for reforms required to tackle the future challenges, which will come as a result of this changing environment.
