Collective bargaining is a key means through which employers and their organizations and trade unions engage to establish sound industrial relations based on mutual trust and agreement. There are many examples of collective bargaining arrangements resulting in strengthening labour-management and industrial relations in the country. The challenge, however, is that collective bargaining is a ‘process.’ Therefore, sometimes it may not be captured in evidence as it is not uniform across the board and remains unique to varying contexts. It may also not always result in collective bargaining agreements. In some cases, collective bargaining may exist as an institutionalized and structured process while in others it may still be less formalized. In general, however, there is dearth of documented evidence base capturing the experiences of collective bargaining agents (CBAs) and the process of collective bargaining.

The present study is envisioned to be a step towards collating and documenting examples of good practices in collective bargaining in different economic sectors in the country. The rationale for this exercise is rooted in the need for drawing lessons from experience in terms of what works and what does not when it comes to advocating and representing the rights of workers through institutional mechanisms.

For the purpose of this study, collective bargaining is examined as an overarching institutional mechanism, encompassing both the process by which collective bargaining takes place, and the output in the shape of agreements as well as the outcomes of how collective bargaining impacts labour-management relations.