18th March 2006, 10:05 PM
I used to be a member of one of the biggest public sector unions, PCS (formely CPSA) and they were next to useless when it came to getting decent pay rises out of my employer. Sometimes they negotiated for over a year and still we came out with more or less the same as the offer first put on the table. In one case we actually ended up with less because over the negotiation period inflation had decreased and the Treasury had reduced the amount allowed in its remit. Another year we lost pay because we went on strike for 6 days which lost us more money than the pay rise we actually got. Basically because each public or civil service employer negotiates pay with its own employees / union branch, any advantage of being a member of a large union was effectively lost. For anything major to happen to archaeologists wages it would probably need nearly 100% membership and everyone to go on strike for a long period ! Maybe I'm being cynical as my experience of unions was less than satisfactory. I also find them too political for my liking and would need a lot of persuasion to join one again.
For me there is a lot to be said for voting with one's own feet, as Mercenary said above. Also as others have pointed out everyone has responsibility for their own future and if they are not happy with their lot they should at least attempt to sort it out for themselves. Most people I know who work for small companies in other professions annually negotiate their terms personally with their employer and although they don't always get what they ask for, their employer at least has an idea what things could be improved and will perhaps work towards doing so.
At the last unit I worked for people seemed to be very wary of talking to management about pay and holiday etc. Some had not had pay rises for over 3 years, even though they had become more experienced AND were taking on more responsibilities. Staff were apathatic and this was reflected in attitudes to the archaeology as well as no-one seemed willing to stand up to management when what I would consider best practice was being sidelined in order to finish sites quickly and get back to the office to write-up or get to the next site. They were all permanent staff and some certainly seemed to just put up with things the way they were - anything for a quiet life, might get sacked if I say something, better the devil you know and all that. I couldn't see anyway that I could change things on my own so I voted with my feet and left and am now hoping to find work with a company that has a better attitude to both its staff and the archaeology.
For me there is a lot to be said for voting with one's own feet, as Mercenary said above. Also as others have pointed out everyone has responsibility for their own future and if they are not happy with their lot they should at least attempt to sort it out for themselves. Most people I know who work for small companies in other professions annually negotiate their terms personally with their employer and although they don't always get what they ask for, their employer at least has an idea what things could be improved and will perhaps work towards doing so.
At the last unit I worked for people seemed to be very wary of talking to management about pay and holiday etc. Some had not had pay rises for over 3 years, even though they had become more experienced AND were taking on more responsibilities. Staff were apathatic and this was reflected in attitudes to the archaeology as well as no-one seemed willing to stand up to management when what I would consider best practice was being sidelined in order to finish sites quickly and get back to the office to write-up or get to the next site. They were all permanent staff and some certainly seemed to just put up with things the way they were - anything for a quiet life, might get sacked if I say something, better the devil you know and all that. I couldn't see anyway that I could change things on my own so I voted with my feet and left and am now hoping to find work with a company that has a better attitude to both its staff and the archaeology.