The debate surrounding the Decent Work Agenda is one of the most relevant political moments of this decade, whose lines of reflection will contribute to defining the course of labor reforms, with social and economic implications that will extend into the future, with collective bargaining assuming an unavoidable central role in said Agenda.
Collective bargaining is a valuable business management tool, as useful to employers as it is to workers, that can resolve or mitigate numerous conflicts, obstacles, and contingencies in business and labor activity in diverse areas such as the organization of working time, geographical and functional mobility, or career progression. Collective bargaining, reflecting the effective involvement of the main actors in labor relations in the process of defining applicable rules, can offer more appropriate solutions to specific problems arising in various professional contexts, addressing the shortcomings of the Labor Code and other labor legislation in aspects that frequently prove to be a source of instability and antagonism, with negative consequences for the productivity and performance of companies.
In addition to a brief historical overview of the legal framework for collective bargaining and an analysis of the impacts of previous reforms, this text reflects on possible paths to consider in a future reform. It analyzes the specificities of the national collective labor relations system, identifying its particular characteristics in order to project a balanced, dynamic, and coherent model with positive repercussions for workers and companies, guaranteeing justice in the workplace, regulation, and market stability.
Authors: FilipeLamelas, Pedro Rita
