Theories of negotiation and collective bargaining

Ray Fells and Peter Prowse

Chapter 31 in Theories and Concepts in Work and Employment Relations, 2025, pp 268-276 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: A core activity of unions is to negotiate to secure better pay and working conditions for their members. This chapter introduces the themes of research – both theoretical and empirical – that have been developed to explore whether these workplace negotiations are different from negotiations in other contexts and, if so, in what way. The workplace is a contested terrain, and early research into how managements and unions resolved their differences reflected their competitive nature. However, Walton and McKersie's seminal work in 1965 conceptualised the distinction between competitive distributive bargaining and a more cooperative integrative approach. Thereafter, research has explored how unions and managements might develop these more collaborative forms of negotiation, most notably the interest-based approach. However, continued research on actual negotiations suggests that the parties face challenges in implementing these collaborative models. More strategic and pragmatic forms of negotiation occur through which management and unions manage the inevitable conflicts of interest that exist in the workplace. The workplace is a constantly changing environment within which management, unions and workers seek to resolve their differences. The chapter's critical analysis of the most important models of collective bargaining provides an important foundation for further theorising and fieldwork investigation into this complex process. Several topics are suggested as areas for future research.

Keywords: Negotiation; Collective bargaining; Distributive bargaining; Integrative bargaining; Interest-based bargaining; Bargaining power (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035316199
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