Collective Bargaining Agreements in flux

Terms of employment and the design of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) are constantly in flux. This is not only due to changes in legislation and regulations, but also to changing preferences on of employers and employees. The past few decades have seen CBAs being tailored to specific needs, (a) by changing the design (decentralization) and (b) by gearing their provisions to particular groups or individual employees (differentiation). Tailor-made solutions in the form of decentralization are dictated by external factors. Differentiation to meet individual needs is increasingly found in CBAs, prompted by a desire to be an ‘attractive employer’ and employees preferring to be more self-responsible.