8th April 2006, 10:15 AM
There is no doubt that the cost of the IFA conference is prohibitive for lower paid IFA members. The fact that the cost of attending the conference is greater than the IFA minimum weekly salary for an experienced digger says a lot about the mind-set of the IFA. Even the offer of an IFA subsidy for lower paid members is less than generous, as there is still the stumbling block of taking a week off unpaid to attend. Try that one as a digger on day 1 of a 3-week contract with Midshire Arch Ltd and much belly laughter will ensue.
What might help is if the IFA could get its RAOs to allow IFA members of all grades to attend the conference with at least a 50/50 deal on conference fees and a right to paid time off. A more representative sample of the IFA membership might also make for more interesting papers/sessions.