Collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) are commonly used across the world to regulate employee terms and conditions and often enhance them compared to minimum legal standards. Depending on the country, a CBA may operate at company, sector or even national level, and in negotiating one, the relationship between employers and trade unions can be key to a positive and constructive outcome for both the business and the workforce.

But the ways in which trade unions work, their level of influence and how employers can work with them most productively, can differ considerably across the world. We take a look, in the chart below, at the key practical aspects of working with trade unions on CBAs in 17 countries, focussing on our experience of negotiating and cooperating with them over many years.