Last person leaving, turn out the light!

[BAJR Host]

Sorry to say, that this will be a depressing thread, there is no point in hiding from the sad reality ... jobs are going, and they are going fast.

BAJR has not had a field job for ages... I am getting told of job losses across the UK ... and this is everywhere..

It start in the field staff.. spreads into management - if you have no jobs to get.. do you need two Managers? etc..

the job losses are sometimes 2 people, but I have heard of 20 and even 30 positions being cut...

How far can we pare back, until there is nothing left to come back to?

Are we fiddling while Rome burns? worrying about minor details, while the bottom falls out the market. Lets be real here, when this is over, archaeology will be very very different from what we have known... if you are to survive, or at least make it to the other side.. you will have to be fitter (in a business sense), more determined, more inventive... the mistakes and clumsey business of the past 20 years is not going to make it....

I am not asking for names and numbers... but for people to be aware... the crisis is looming... and starting right now...

"I don't have an archaeological imagination.."
Borekickers

[kevin wooldridge]

David is wise to warn ahead of this problem getting any worse. As a survivor of 1990/91 I would advise anyone who might be in danger of losing their job or being regraded or having their wages/hours cut to get in touch with a trade union....They have trained staff whose job is to pick their way through potential problems like this. And good luck to everyone over the next few months.....

Anything I hear of that might relieve the situation vis a vis jobs elsewhere in Europe I will get in touch through David.

[BAJR Host]

thanks Kevin... and lets hope we can all work to make it through

"I don't have an archaeological imagination.."
Borekickers

[andy.bicket]

As others have said many times on this and other forums...archaeologists are a highly skilled and intelligent bunch of people, innovation will be the key here, figure out where your strengths lie and go for it.

It will definitely be interesting to see how archaeology changes if we encounter the recession that some are forecasting.

[Hal Dalwood]

I couldn't agree more with Kevin about joining a Trade Union, whatever union is formally recognised by your employer, whether Unison or Prospect or whoever. A TU negotiator can deal with threatened job losses using a whole range of well-tested tactics - otherwise you are essentially on your own. And that can be a very lonely place. Once redundancies are on the table, and there is an official dispute between the union and the employer, prospective new members may not be permitted to join the union. Unions negotiators may not in the event save your job, if the economic case for redundancies is solid, but they can negotiate a better redundancy deal than anyone could on their own.

Hal Dalwood

Bad archaeologist, worse husband

[BAJR Host]

Good advice Hal... Prospect may not be the most dynamic union for archaeologists... (personal view) but right now... the investment in joining might be worth it.

Past Horiozns and I are looking at providing a full range of skills, courses and training opportunities for those who may want to survive the year, and gain valuable skills as well... things like thatching, mason courses, dry stone walling, lime works, traditional carpentry etc... both taster courses and full apprenticeships...

"I don't have an archaeological imagination.."
Borekickers

[chiz]

quote: things like thatching, mason courses, dry stone walling, lime works, traditional carpentry etc... both taster courses and full apprenticeships...

...have I come full circle then? I started as a professional digger as an alternative to becoming an apprentice carpenter...

[BAJR Host]

looks like you may have a job to go back to.....

"I don't have an archaeological imagination.."
Borekickers

[chiz]

to try and be positive...several people have expressed the value of joining a union, and I agree wholeheartedly.

What other positive things can we do, and if the worst comes to the worst, how can we try and get the best out of what may be one bad year, or may be longer? I've worked through some pretty lean times including early 90's, and I think it was winter 1997 when a fieldwalking job in the Fens got 400 applications -it was the only 'digging' job for weeks, that was grim (luckily I didn't get that one!), and there's been several quite bad times in London over the last ten years amongst all the booms. So is there anything we can do positively, like Host looking at courses?

I'm sorting out getting my driving license so if that dream job comes up I'm ready to take it, I'm also sorting out my backlog of unpublished papers and sites, and thinking of what training I can get that will improve my prospects as either self-employed, or to get back into a unit, or get me where I want to be in 5 years time.

[drpeterwardle]

I think it would be useful to collect statistics on redundancies, short time working and similar.

How serious a problem is it?

The slow down actually started about a year ago and at the same time all sorts of extra "burdens" were placed upon employers. Is it time for a rethink?

Equally HMG are announcing a number of major building projects will this be enough?

Peter Wardle