FEATURES OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING          

Some significant features of collective bargaining might be listed thus:

1. Collective

It is collective in two ways. One of that is all the workers collectively bargain for their common interests & benefits. The other is that employees and management together arrive at an amicable solution through negotiations.

2. Strength

Across the table, both of the parties bargain from a position of identical strength. In collective bargaining, the bargaining strength of both of parties is equal. This is industrial democracy at work.

3.  Flexible

This is a group action where representatives of employees and management expend energies to arrive at a consensus. It contains sufficient flexibility, as no party can afford to be rigid and inflexible in such situations. The exclusive feature of collective bargaining is that the parties usually concerned start negotiations with totally divergent views but ultimately reach a middle point adoptable to both. Therefore it is not a one-way street but a give and take procedure.

4. Voluntary

Both of workers and management come to the negotiating table voluntarily to contain a meaningful dialogue on several troubling issues. They attempt to probe each other's views comprehensively before arriving at an acceptable solution. The implementation of the agreement retained is also a voluntary procedure.

5. Continuous

Collective bargaining is a continuous procedure. It does not commence along negotiations & end with an agreement. The agreement is just a beginning of collective bargaining. It is a constant procedure which includes implementation of the agreement and also additional negotiations.

6. Dynamic

Collective bargaining is a dynamic procedure because the way agreements are arrived at, the means they are implemented, the mental make-up of parties involved keeps altering. As a consequence, the concept itself changes, development and expands over time.

7. Power relationship

Workers want to achieve the maximum from management, and management wants to take out the maximum from employees by offering as little as possible. To attain a consensus, both need to retreat from such positions & accept less than what is asked for and provide more than what is on offer. By doing so management try to retain its control on workplace matters and unions try to strengthen their hold over workforce without any serious dilution of their strength.

8.  Representation

The key participants in collective bargaining do not act for themselves. They represent the claims of management and labour when trying to attain an agreement. In collective bargaining the employer does not directly deal with workers. He carries out negotiations having representatives of unions who are authorised to bargain along the employer on work-associated matters.

9.  Bipartite process

The employees and employers directly negotiate the matter, face to face across the table. There is no third party interference.

10. Complex

Collective bargaining is a complicated procedure involving a number of procedure, techniques and tools: timing, preparation for negotiations, agenda, tedious negotiations, selection of negotiators, make up of agreement, enforcement, ratification etc.