As the title suggests, the purpose of this essay is to analyze the legislative and contractual process that led to the signature of General collective agreement 10 January 2014 on the discipline of unions’ representation in the workplace. After an introduction on Article 39 of the Italian Constitution and the Workers' Statute of 1970, the author considers the recent developments about this topic in relation to the law on strikes in public services, the relevant popular referendum, the innovations introduced by Article 8 of Law no. 148/2011, down to the important decision n. 231/2013 of the Constitutional Court. In the background stands out as a main question that one concerning the need (or at least the opportunity) of the approval of a legislative regulation to this matter in the Italian system.