Aspects of collective bargaining

These views epitomise the problem of industrial relations, collective bargaining and wage determination in the UK. They are not new. Indeed, they have occupied the economic stage since 1946. And it is unlikely they will wither away, as Marx predicted the capitalist system would, so long as the capitalist mixed economy exists. The reconciliation of the public interest, as defined by the Government, with the level of pay settlements negotiated by employers and trade unions is one fraught with considerable difficulty. The Government is technically an intruder to the processes of collective bargaining when it imposes guidelines for wage bargaining. Wage bargaining in such circumstances is not free since, if observed, it may not serve the interests of the immediate parties to an agreement.