The United Nations International Labor Organization (ILO) highlighted in its recent report on collective bargaining on the 5th of April the importance of collective bargaining between employers, workers and governments for post-COVID-19 recovery, especially as to not exacerbate the already existing disparities.
The Director- General of ILO, Guy Ryder told the journalists in Geneva, “workers want to keep their head above the water, as prices rise, as they are right now, and they want to ensure workplace safety and secure the paid sick leave that has proved so critical over the last two years.” (UN news)
Our new Social Dialogue Report shows that where collective bargaining is more present, inequalities in society are reduced.
It also shows during crises like #COVID19, collective agreements help provide solutions to world of work challenges.
Read more: https://t.co/YuWfpouUfG pic.twitter.com/FPTsZDLPzp
— Guy Ryder (@GuyRyder) May 5, 2022
“The higher the percentage of employees covered by collective agreements, the lower the wage inequality. And the more equality and diversity there is likely to be in the workplace,” he added.
What is Collective Bargaining?
It refers to a process of voluntary negotiations between one or more employers or their organizations and one or more worker’s organizations, which is often known as the trade union. Procedurally, the representatives of the respective parties voiced out their concerns and explained the reasons behind their position, and then they attempted to reach a consensus after debating and discussing.
It concludes with the signing of a collective agreement which regulates working conditions and terms of employment, and acts like a guiding book to serve the purpose of the agreement. Therefore, collective bargaining involves voluntary negotiations and good faith.
What does the report mention about the variation?
The report has pointed out the regional variations in the regulatory coverage by the collective agreements. For instance, it ranges over 75 percent in many European countries, while for around half of countries it ranges below 25 percent.
New reality
The Covid-19 pandemic and the public health measures taken to fight it, have had dramatic effects on work, business etc. Numerous business houses suffered through hardships in terms of loss of income level and increasing debt for sustenance. While many workers use hybrids as a mode of working, some, such as health-care workers, are not allowed to work remotely.
This has resulted in the deepening of already persisting disparities within and across the countries. It has threatened to reverse recent progress towards gender equality and increased the burden of unpaid care work.
Furthermore, while making an appeal to embrace the dialogue between the worker’s organization and employers, the ILO Director- General said that “agreements are already focusing on agreeing equal opportunity, the integration of on-site and the remote work practices, re- regulating working time to a right to disconnect and addressing shared concerns of workers and employers over cybersecurity and of data privacy.”