ILO-en-strap
NORMLEX
Information System on International Labour Standards

Compilation of decisions of the Committee on Freedom of Association

« Go to Index

Collective bargaining15

The principle of bargaining in good faith

  1. The Committee recalls the importance which it attaches to the obligation to negotiate in good faith for the maintenance of the harmonious development of labour relations.
see related cases
Related CountryReportParagraph
26323511282
1865Republic of Korea346745
2408Cabo Verde342271
2425Burundi343258
2460United States of America344990
2506Greece3461077
2581Chad3541107
2584Burundi350293
2602Republic of Korea350676
2611Romania356175
2611 3511282
2634Thailand3531308
2655Cambodia355356
2655Cambodia359315
2663Georgia356767
2704Canada363398
2745Philippines3601056
2819Dominican Republic363538
2867Bolivia (Plurinational State of)363352
2908El Salvador371292
2914Gabon368409
2937Paraguay371653
3001Bolivia (Plurinational State of)371209
Digest: 2006934
  1. It is important that both employers and trade unions bargain in good faith and make every effort to reach an agreement; moreover genuine and constructive negotiations are a necessary component to establish and maintain a relationship of confidence between the parties.
see related cases
Related CountryReportParagraph
26323511282
2425Burundi343258
2437United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland3441314
2506Greece3461077
2553Peru3501538
2584Burundi350293
2607Democratic Republic of the Congo351585
2611Romania356175
2611 3511282
2638Peru357796
2650Bolivia (Plurinational State of)353419
2655Cambodia355356
2655Cambodia359315
2663Georgia356767
2704Canada363398
2716Philippines358859
2741United States of America362765
2776Argentina359289
2788Argentina362251
2803Canada360342
2825Peru3621256
2837Argentina363309
2838Greece3621079
2871El Salvador375227
2872Guatemala3651085
3039Denmark373263
3063Colombia375132
Digest: 2006935
  1. Both employers and trade unions should bargain in good faith and make every effort to come to an agreement, and satisfactory labour relations depend primarily on the attitudes of the parties towards each other and on their mutual confidence.
see related cases
Related CountryReportParagraph
2361Guatemala3621096
2437United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland3441314
2467Canada344576
2481Colombia34978
2486Romania3441212
2486Romania3491238
2506Greece3461077
2848Canada364427
3063Colombia375134
Digest: 2006936
  1. The principle that both employers and trade unions should negotiate in good faith and make efforts to reach an agreement means that any unjustified delay in the holding of negotiations should be avoided.
see related cases
Related CountryReportParagraph
2361Guatemala3621096
2397Guatemala340888
2417Argentina340307
2425Burundi343259
2803Canada360342
2827Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)3641121
2871El Salvador375227
2969Mauritius370533
Digest: 2006937
  1. In the context of voluntary collective bargaining and a spirit of good faith, a request made by trade union organizations to suspend the work of the Public Sector Salary Negotiation Committee for some days, to allow for internal consultations on a proposal which the Government submitted during that meeting and about which further technical details were needed, is not unreasonable.
see related cases
Related CountryReportParagraph
3122Costa Rica378211
  1. The act of postponing or arranging negotiation meetings unilaterally at the last minute and without prior warning, if it occurs without good reason, is a practice that is harmful to the development of normal and healthy labour relations.
see related cases
Related CountryReportParagraph
2611Romania356175
  1. While the question as to whether or not one party adopts an amenable or uncompromising attitude towards the other party is a matter for negotiation between the parties, both employers and trade unions should bargain in good faith making every effort to reach an agreement.
see related cases
Related CountryReportParagraph
2319Japan3431007
2362Colombia350429
2437United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland3441315
2467Canada344576
2640Peru3551048
Digest: 2006938
  1. Agreements should be binding on the parties.
see related cases
Related CountryReportParagraph
26323511282
1865Republic of Korea346745
1865Republic of Korea363120
2356Colombia342352
2421Guatemala342582
2425Burundi343259
2467Canada344585
2469Colombia34971
2486Romania3441212
2572El Salvador349792
2572El Salvador35585
2601Nicaragua3501446
2601Nicaragua3561023
2611 3511282
2626Chile354358
2639Peru3591070
2663Georgia356766
2735Indonesia358601
2744Russian Federation3571157
2776Argentina359289
2811Guatemala363662
2825Peru3621256
2867Bolivia (Plurinational State of)363352
2914Gabon368409
2937Paraguay371653
2947Spain371463
2969Mauritius370532
2986El Salvador372206
3012El Salvador373307
3013El Salvador372260
3016Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)3761033
3024Morocco372423
3044Croatia374333
3072Portugal376923
3081Liberia376722
Digest: 2006939
  1. Recalling that meaningful collective bargaining is based on the premise that all represented parties are bound by voluntarily agreed provisions, the Committee urged the Government to ensure the statutory enforceability of every collective agreement among those represented by the contracting parties.
see related cases
Related CountryReportParagraph
2820Greece365997
  1. Mutual respect for the commitment undertaken in collective agreements is an important element of the right to bargain collectively and should be upheld in order to establish labour relations on stable and firm ground.
see related cases
Related CountryReportParagraph
3066375476
1865Republic of Korea346745
2572El Salvador349792
2572El Salvador35585
2598Togo3511355
2601Nicaragua3501446
2615El Salvador353866
2663Georgia356766
2947Spain371453
3002Bolivia (Plurinational State of)37374
3016Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)3761033
3024Morocco372423
3065 375476
3081Liberia376722
3094Guatemala377345
Digest: 2006940
  1. Collective bargaining implies both a give-and-take process and a reasonable certainty that negotiated commitments will be honoured, at the very least for the duration of the agreement, such agreement being the result of compromises made by both parties on certain issues, and of certain bargaining demands dropped in order to secure other rights which were given more priority by trade unions and their members. If these rights, for which concessions on other points have been made, can be cancelled unilaterally, there could be neither reasonable expectation of industrial relations stability, nor sufficient reliance on negotiated agreements.
see related cases
Related CountryReportParagraph
2434Colombia344792
2502Greece3441019
2663Georgia356766
2969Mauritius370532
3024Morocco372423
3044Croatia374333
3081Liberia376722
Digest: 2006941
  1. A legal provision which allows the employer to modify unilaterally the content of signed collective agreements, or to require that they be renegotiated, is contrary to the principles of collective bargaining.
see related cases
Related CountryReportParagraph
2467Canada344573
2497Colombia348400
2723Fiji362842
2723Fiji365778
Digest: 2006942
  1. The Collective Agreements Recommendation, 1951 (No. 91), which guides governments in their understanding of the principles of collective bargaining, explicitly recognizes in its Paragraph 3 that collective bargaining agreements should bind the signatories thereto and those on whose behalf the agreement is concluded.
see related cases
Related CountryReportParagraph
3081Liberia376722
  1. Failure to implement a collective agreement, even on a temporary basis, violates the right to bargain collectively, as well as the principle of bargaining in good faith.
see related cases
Related CountryReportParagraph
2615El Salvador353866
2735Indonesia358601
2811Guatemala363662
3081Liberia376722
Digest: 2006943
  1. All the parties to the negotiation, whether or not they have legal personality, must be liable for any breaches of the right to secrecy of the information which they receive in the framework of collective bargaining.
see related cases
Related CountryReportParagraph
2699Uruguay3561389
© Copyright and permissions 1996-2024 International Labour Organization (ILO) | Privacy policy | Disclaimer