With a certification, a union gains the right to compel the employer to engage in collective bargaining with the union on behalf of the employees it represents. The goal of collective bargaining is a collective agreement, which is a binding contract between the union and employer concerning the terms and conditions of employment for employees in the bargaining unit.
Collective bargaining refers to the process of negotiating a collective agreement. For the uninitiated, this can be a daunting task. If you are facing the prospect of negotiating a collective agreement for your workforce, you may wish to seek expert labour-relations advice and assistance.
The following discussion highlights only a few of the important issues you will face in collective bargaining, based largely on the mandatory procedures and provisions set out in the Labour Relations Code. The actual dynamics, strategies and challenges in a collective bargaining process will, of course, depend largely on the specific circumstances of the parties and the workplace.
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