Collective Bargaining Ms .

A stable and effective industrial relations system is vital for the economic and social development of any country. It is on this foundation that sustained economic growth with equitable distribution of income, especially to labour, can be achieved. In turn, collective bargaining, which is an integral component of industrial relations, is essential if sustained economic growth is to be achieved with equitable distribution of income, but also constitutes a dynamic process between employers and workers for settling their disputes relating to wages and other terms and conditions of employment based on the bargaining strength available to each side. In other words, collective bargaining is a means to improve the terms and conditions under which workers are engaged, promote their socioeconomic interests and maintain industrial harmony. Its objective is to conclude a collective agreement in writing between an employer or employers’ union on the one hand and a trade union on the other, fixing the terms and conditions of employment or the relations between such parties for a specific duration. It provides, therefore, a written guarantee for stable and harmonious industrial relations for the specified period.