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+--- Thread: archaeologist wages (again) (/showthread.php?tid=657)
archaeologist wages (again) - wombat - 6th September 2007
Just wondering if anyone else had noticed that Northamptonshire are advertising for G2 staff at 14142 per annum, despite this being below the BAJR minimum of 14270. WYAS are also advertising for G2/G3 staff starting at 14143. I thought that BAJR had rules about this sort of thing.....
On another note, it seems that units only want to employ staff at G2 level nowadays, to avoid paying G3 wages. Will said units be increasing the salary of their staff to reflect the skills and abilities of archaeologists with more than the G2 requirement of 3 to 6 months experience? Probably not.
archaeologist wages (again) - BAJR Host - 6th September 2007
BAJR does indeed .. and the nice folk phoned up to see if this was fine... the reason is that as a council unit, they are still stuck at last years wages (so to speak) until the pay deal is sorted... if it is as suspected a 2.5% rise this takes it well over the minimum... and ... this is backdated to any staff from April 2007 onwards... so you have to see it as 'money in the bank' even if you do 4 week and then leave... when the day deal is agreed.. then you will get sent the money you are owed.
Hope that clears tha one up..
As to G2 staff and G3 staff... this is a problem that wil be dealt with in the Benchmarking.. (happening right now) where skills and training counts for progression... of course at the moment it is difficult for companies to know about a staff member until they have worked with them for a while... but when the BAJR concept Skills passport comes in... then staff will be able to 'transfer' skills and abilities from palce to place... and you get what you pay for... if you need more expereinced diggers... then you will have physical proof that you have them.. in the form of the skills passport... Every company should have some form of probationry period with a set number of months before promotion/wage rise... otherwise a 5 year digger could be getting the same as a 1 month newbie...
So hopefully so...
Thanks for highlighting this wombat
"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu
archaeologist wages (again) - wombat - 6th September 2007
Ok then.
I understand where you are coming from with the skills and training, and some form of 'passport' is probably a better indicator of ability than experience as I have worked with some pretty useless diggers with 20 years experience, as well as some excellent ones who have never picked up a trowel before....
I am just concerned that the way things are at the moment, there is an opportunity for employers to offer a G2 wage and still recruit staff with experience commensurate with G3 level. Maybe one could say that if employers are asking for G2 staff, then G3 applicants should either not apply, or lump it and take the job at the avertised wage, but if no-one is advertising for G3 staff, where does it leave the poor G3s?
archaeologist wages (again) - BAJR Host - 6th September 2007
These are fair points... and sadly... you answered your own question...
If/when the passport comes into being.. perhaps 2009? then the requirements for a site will be able to specify what you need... ie... you can't run an entire site on G2s... however... when you get job applications you will be assured that the people who say they are G3's are jsut that.. plus.. it should be the case that pay should evolve over time...
Don't think I have now thought about this... but its very very tricky to enforce.. Believe it or not it was BAJR that introduced the senior digger grade 5 years ago... and quite a few companies actually use that as a pay range... where you can (and often do ) get paid more for more exp. previously it was one wage for all. Thats why this year I have now added the middling grades, to allow more potential for movement.. the next step is telescoping the pay scales.. to allow a sensible progression ... instead of the one where after years of work... you end up with little remuneration for all the added work and stress!
I was recently having alook over the past 8 years of BAJR and boy have things changed... (I hasten to add not just because of BAJR... ) but things have and are changing... all suggestions needed though.. hence the Skills Passport..
"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu
archaeologist wages (again) - the invisible man - 7th September 2007
Just a minor point, but pay is related to the job you do, not your experience. If you have 30 years experience and used to be director of MOLAS before becoming director of the BM, then decide to take a job as a G2 digger, you should get paid as a G2 digger. I understand that the argument works the other way too of course.
You don't know what you've got till it's gone.
archaeologist wages (again) - wombat - 7th September 2007
Yes thats true, but if all digging posts are advertised as G2, then the end result is that the more experienced diggers will not be getting a wage that reflects their abilities. I do not have a solution to this problem, its just unfortunate that the system of BAJR pay scales appears to have been exploited somewhat.
archaeologist wages (again) - BAJR Host - 7th September 2007
Plugging the gaps.... thats what we are at...
as invis says... it all depends on what the job entails... if it jsut requires a G2 skilled person, then thats all it needs... it would be good to see a sense of ......... medium excavation needs a G4 2 G3s and 4 G2s type thing (but as each project is different..!) Though there should be a certain proportion of G3 or even G3/4 people available for projects...
Hard to implement... I fell only some people exploit it.. but this can look bad.
"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu