Posts: 0
Threads: 0
Joined: Jan 2005
17th September 2010, 04:23 PM
Just seen this on the IfA website. Any takers?
Submitted by Kathryn Whittington on Tue, 07/09/2010 - 16:25
The Institute has received an anonymous letter relating to work undertaken by Registered Organisations. We cannot act on this letter without some further information, and therefore request that the sender gets in touch with contact details. For advice on the Registered Organisations complaints procedure, please see the complaints page
http://www.archaeologists.net/regulation/complaints
:face-huh:
Posts: 6,009
Threads: 2
Joined: Mar 2017
17th September 2010, 07:27 PM
I never get anon complaints ... I guess its cos they trust me not to pass the name over to the company.... which is what often happens - So far... BAJR has been able to help most times, or whittle out confusion... or spot a malicious complaint. Often it is a communication error. However, even with any complaint, I make some initial enquiry I would suggest that the person gets back in touch with them but initially confidentially. You will need proof, and hard evidence.
You can also get in touch with me as well. Confidentiality assured. I can always act as an intermediary - which the IfA and I have talked about before. But you would have to convince me as well, before I put my neck on the line.
Posts: 0
Threads: 0
Joined: Aug 2005
17th September 2010, 11:32 PM
I would urge the complainent to think very very carefully before coming forward. I found myself in a similar situation a few years ago and the names of the complainents and the contact addresses were all passed onto the unit.
Following an incredibly long winded investigation it was decided that it was a case of our word against that of the unit
This could potentially have huge repocussions for you and your career - think first - what will it achieve? What will the IFA actually do? Is there a better route such as gaining as much publicity as possible to force the issue into the open or to talk to the local planning authority (which is hopefully not simply located upstairs!!)
Posts: 1
Threads: 0
Joined: Apr 2010
18th September 2010, 01:47 PM
Can IFA actually do anything to a unit even if it does find them guilty of malpractice, other than revoking the unit's RO status which is fairly meaningless anyway? Getting a unit taken off a county list would be far more painful commercially (although in practice also fairly meaningles....)
Posts: 0
Threads: 0
Joined: Mar 2005
18th September 2010, 02:50 PM
Quote:revoking the unit's RO status which is fairly meaningless anyway? Getting a unit taken off a county list would be far more painful commercially (although in practice also fairly meaningles....)
Ahh... the constant struggle for meaning in a Godless universe. But what if the County list is the RO list?
Posts: 0
Threads: 0
Joined: Apr 2005
18th September 2010, 03:27 PM
(This post was last modified: 18th September 2010, 03:29 PM by kevin wooldridge.)
A few years back I made a complaint to the IFA after an IFA member openly published a rightwing political statement that not only bought the IfA into disrepute but was clearly an incitement to an illegal act or acts. I was not alone in doing this and another IfA member (totally independent of me) also bought the statement to the attention of the IfA. I asked at the time (having produced the evidence and the place where the statement was issued) if the IFA council would instigate an investigation into the matter on behalf of the Institute and deal with it as in internal disciplinary matter. I heard nothing more about the matter until several months later when a mail to another archaeological forum was bought to my attention. In it the person who had been reported, investigated and disciplined by the IfA was threatening all kinds of revenge against myself and the other person who had raised the matter with the IfA including I think the line 'I know where you live'....
It appears (much as the case described by Trowel Fodder) that the IfA rather than bringing this case through the IfA council had informed the person under investigation that it was a personal complaint from me and one other. As I had never met, spoken or communicated with the person whom the IfA had disciplined (or with the other complainant come to that), this did appear a little strange and I thought myself suggested that the IfA council at that time were lacking in moral courage in not pursuing the complaint on behalf of the Institute. It therefore doesn't surprise me that the complainant in this instance wishes to remain anonymous.....
What the IfA needs is a 'Whistleblowers Charter' to protect the anonymity of complainants where disclosure of their identity could lead to unfair treatment by persons under investigation OR to have the moral courage to take up investigations through the auspices of the IfA council, as their charter allows them to do....in my experience there is rarely smoke without fire!!
With peace and consolation hath dismist, And calm of mind all passion spent...
Posts: 6,009
Threads: 2
Joined: Mar 2017
18th September 2010, 06:21 PM
Quote:But what if the County list is the RO list?
Then that would penalise those of us who are not ROs, but act to high standards...
Posts: 0
Threads: 0
Joined: Mar 2005
18th September 2010, 07:35 PM
welll.... you know what to do then!
[INDENT]Shiny assed county mounty, office lurker, coffee junkie and facebook scanner[/INDENT]
Posts: 6,009
Threads: 2
Joined: Mar 2017
18th September 2010, 08:39 PM
Yup.... continue to support and practice the best quality of work that as an archaeologist I can achieve, and not look at minimum standards as a best practice... you are so right
Posts: 1
Threads: 0
Joined: Apr 2010
19th September 2010, 05:19 PM
Are any County Lists RO only? Is that legal? Surely they'd be wide open to being taken to the cleaners in court by non-ROs who could demonstrate a sufficient level of competence? RO status has no legal validity whatsoever and hence surely can't be used as the basis for a bar? :face-stir:
