Abstract

The role of collective bargaining is pivotal in establishing the foundation for sound labour relations. The main aim is to reach at a collective agreement which deals with the terms and conditions of the employment, including the rights and responsibilities of the parties. The technique is to amicably resolve a dispute as to conditions of employment by means of agreement. The labour laws in India are highly balanced and controlled in comparison to other countries of the world. In the case of UK, there is no single definition codified yet for who is protected under labour laws. The collective bargaining in India remains more or less limited in its scope and restricted in its coverage due to the well-defined legal system, with formal sectors with a better space and informal with no scope for the same. In UK, mostly arrangements for collective bargaining are voluntary, with benefits from voluntary union recognition. The process is carried out through various stages and also conducted at different levels. The types of collective bargaining agreements also do vary. The legal boundaries ultimately decide the scope of the application of the collective bargaining as a tool. The path of origin and evolution of the technique is also different in both the countries. The pre-requisites, procedures employed and the overall process need to be analyzed for determining the reason for the current trends in the collective bargaining. Numerous examples also require to be evaluated in order to find out the challenges posed by miscellaneous factors. This comparative study aims to assess the role of collective bargaining in India and UK, to find out the issues, its solutions and to reach at suggestions for way forward.

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