The purpose of this article is to discuss the rationale for labour involvement in the management of injury and disability at the workplace. The authors discuss the importance of joint labour–management collaboration in the development and implementation of disability management and return-to-work programs. Best practices in disability management are reviewed, with a focus on important implications for joint labour–management committees. An overview of the key elements of formal return-to-work programs is discussed, including established benchmarks for return-to-work program development and implementation. This article also provides an overview of a proposed pioneering research project to analyse collective bargaining agreements, to review evidence of a joint commitment to best practices in worksite disability management, and to determine the extent to which disability management best practices are evident within unionised worksites.