21st July 2011, 01:49 PM
This issue of long hours, overtime rates (or not) traveling time and expenses on some larger jobs, and who's fault it is, is a complex issue.
I think this has all been said before, but its not always archaeological companies under-cutting other ones and stiffing the diggers deliberatly - although I know this happens (it happen to me on several occasions as a digger).
Some larger (utilities) construction companies are sometimes the ones stiffing the archaeologists.........I have heard (second hand) of such a company forcing an archaeology unit to re-do their tender to make it cheaper 'or you wont get the contract' and 'we wont pay overtime rates or traveling time for your diggers'.
Also on at least two jobs I (as the project officer) refused to work extra hours at normal rate (saying overtime should be time and a half), on one job me and my manager had to fight the client's mentality of 'well our guys work 12 hour days 6 days a week on a flat rate so why can't you?' (they conveniently forgot all the bonuses they pay their own staff to do so!) and it took ages of going round in circles to avoid that one....one company even suggetsed we worked round the clock in three shifts using floodlights! (coz their guys did).
But at the end of the day I feel I (and others) should be paid time and a half for overtime............which seems to be a thing of the past. The only outcome was working 40 hour weeks and miffing off some diggers who wanted the extra money of working the extra hours.
You just can't win!
I think this has all been said before, but its not always archaeological companies under-cutting other ones and stiffing the diggers deliberatly - although I know this happens (it happen to me on several occasions as a digger).
Some larger (utilities) construction companies are sometimes the ones stiffing the archaeologists.........I have heard (second hand) of such a company forcing an archaeology unit to re-do their tender to make it cheaper 'or you wont get the contract' and 'we wont pay overtime rates or traveling time for your diggers'.
Also on at least two jobs I (as the project officer) refused to work extra hours at normal rate (saying overtime should be time and a half), on one job me and my manager had to fight the client's mentality of 'well our guys work 12 hour days 6 days a week on a flat rate so why can't you?' (they conveniently forgot all the bonuses they pay their own staff to do so!) and it took ages of going round in circles to avoid that one....one company even suggetsed we worked round the clock in three shifts using floodlights! (coz their guys did).
But at the end of the day I feel I (and others) should be paid time and a half for overtime............which seems to be a thing of the past. The only outcome was working 40 hour weeks and miffing off some diggers who wanted the extra money of working the extra hours.
You just can't win!