REPLY: Formal Collective Arrangements: A Reply to Walsh

Abstract

It was pleasing to see Pat Walsh's comment on my article (Geare, 1983) and to have the opportunity to respond. Added debate may help bring about the intended result of the original article - a reform in the way formal collective arrangements are classified. My article stressed the illogicalities in the current system and proposed a more logical classification as present in Table 2 of my article (and Walsh's). This proposed system could easily be introduced and, with a few legislative and administrative changes, collective arrangements could be printed with more logical and descriptive titles. Department of Labour and Arbitration Court data would become more useful and accurate. Until such changes occur, the proposed classification could be used by those writing about collective arrangements as it is still compatible with the actual titles on the documents. It was hoped that the article would create greater awareness of the problem and greater acceptance of the need for reform. Walsh's article, and this response, gives the problem further exposure and by so doing may increase the probability of reform.