2nd April 2010, 07:01 PM
GnomeKing Wrote:I I I I I---this is about everybody else Dirty, not just you!!!!.....perhapes you might consider some solidarity for those who may not be in your position, and whetheryou care about how the rest of the community is doing....
(membership dosn't equate to "strike", by the way)
Its a good point Mr GnomeKing. I probably haven't been as constructive as I should have been, and I'll try to improve on this from now on.
I think Mr Red Earth does make a good point in terms of replies to recent postings. Yes they are going to upset people here, although that's not the main reason for them at all.
OK. If unionisation is going to be a useful tool for pushing up pay, better terms and conditions, welfare, training, safety, etc. etc, there is going to be a need to engage with the archaeology community as a whole and to get as many people on board as possible. I think while promoting unions, you're going to find a large number of people with views including:
- Those happy in their jobs, with good conditions who feel that unionization isn't for them, however self centered that is.
- Those like Mr Red Earth who are worried about democracy, perhaps the view of unions in the recent media, and have concerns about joining
- Those who simply "can't be asked"
- Those who think "its destined to fail
While views like mine are going to be polarising, a lot of the above views are going to be prevelant in the industry, and you're going to need as many people on board as possible in order to make real changes. Look back over the last few days of posts. Is it like Mr Red Earth says, descending towards calling people scabs, hat doffers, etc, or have good reasons been given to convincce a doubter to join a union? Maybe the last few days have been useful in that they've brought this issue a bit further forward - how are you going to convince doubters that unionisation is a good idea? I can see it being a major hurdle to moving forward.
I hope this is a more constructive post. If people want to get me involved, then maybe suggest a few reasons why I should join. I'll try an keep a more open mind from now on