Most unions have also developed a very sophisticated understanding of the industries in which they operate, contributing new depth to the overall bargaining process. Styles of Negotiation One must be wary of the allure of new styles of negotiation which come into fashion every few years. However, one must be sensitive to the voices of those who have been through years of traditional adversarial forms of bargaining and who are saying that there must be a better way to do things. One of the most promising trends we observed across the country was a growing awareness of the advantages of more principled styles of negotiation, compared to the more traditional position-based approach. Change is clearly taking place, but it comes hard in some industries where old behaviour patterns run deep, and old rivalries and animosities are difficult to replace.
Collective bargaining is a complex process dealing with important interests.
Every employee needs a sense of worth beyond the receiving of a paycheque. Suppliers, customers, bankers, employees, shareholders and government all have a common interest in the success of a business and in the fair distribution of its revenues. This could go on for months, or even years, until intense negotiations occurred only at the eleventh hour, when compromise was sought to avert a work stoppage. Many settlements were achieved by this process. However, the focus tended to be on the demands and the arguments in favour of those demands, rather than on the underlying interests of the parties in the dispute.