The inquiry comes up at least once a month in any labor law firm that serves SMEs: "I have a manager who is outside the collective bargaining agreement; do I have to pay them the collective bargaining increases?". The short answer is no, but the long answer fills a book. And, above all, it occupies several firm rulings in the national labor chamber that are worth looking at before signing the contract. Here is what you need to understand so you don't end up paying two years of salary differences with interest.