Working Paper 3: Collective bargaining on employment

This paper examines the manner in which industrial relations actors have used collective bargaining to address issues of employment and employment insecurity. While the bulk of collective bargaining over the last two decades has been on "how to" implement job cuts, actors have increasingly used collective bargaining as an instrument to negotiate alternatives and save jobs. In the context of the current economic crisis, the paper highlights the importance of the interplay between collective bargaining actors and the State. It also points to the need to strengthen the social partners and industrial relations institutions, without which firms may lack the capacity to reach the bargains needed to save jobs, maintain incomes and improve firm performance.