Define Closed Shop Agreement in terms of Section 26 within your own words?

A closed shop agreement is a labor agreement between an employer and a union that requires all employees to be members of the union in order to be hired or to remain employed. This type of agreement is prohibited under Section 26 of the National Labor Relations Act, which states that it is illegal for an employer to require employees to join a union as a condition of employment.

A Closed Shop Agreement under Section 26 of the Industrial Relations Act, 1947, is a legally enforceable contract between an employer and a registered trade union that requires all employees within a specific bargaining unit to be members of that union as a condition of employment.

In essence, a Closed Shop Agreement establishes a union-only workplace, where only employees who are members of the designated trade union are eligible to work for the employer. The objective of such an agreement is to foster union solidarity, strengthen collective bargaining power, and promote industrial peace by eliminating non-union workers from the workplace.