Co-Ordinated Bargaining: A Process for Our Times?

Abstract

This article draws on past as well as present to offer a systematic overview of co-ordinated bargaining, which many commentators see as a likely vehicle for the "Europeanization" of industrial relations. It argues that co-ordinated bargaining is indeed likely to play a major role within the EU, reflecting not only trade union pressures but also management's use of benchmarking to promote organizational change and competitiveness. The pace with which co-ordinated bargaining develops is likely to vary considerably both within and between sectors, however, leading to multi-speed "Europeanization" and further decentralization of collective bargaining within national systems.