21st September 2011, 10:34 PM
It would be interesting to know what form of 'contract' is being issued to self-employed staff, because surely that very term contradicts their self-employed status. I should surely be the other way round - the self-employed issuing a contract stating what they will do and what it will cost. I would use the test of considering what would happen if you were getting someone to carry out work on your house - do you issue the roofer/plumber/builder a contract saying what their hours are, how much they will be paid, whether they 'take advantage' of working weekends and Chistmas day (Christ almighty, what sort of self-employed 'contract' are you on where that is even an option, has the world gone mad!)
The whole thing shows what a mess employment conditions often are in archaeology but the IfA's guidance doesn't help very much - they are in a constant dilemma: it 'does not have a remit to dictate how its members should carry out their business. However it does have a role in ensuring that members and Registered Organisations work to recognised standards and in a manner which does not contravene the IfA Code of conduct or IfA Standards and guidance', which kind of sounds like a contradiction. It was ever thus...
The whole thing shows what a mess employment conditions often are in archaeology but the IfA's guidance doesn't help very much - they are in a constant dilemma: it 'does not have a remit to dictate how its members should carry out their business. However it does have a role in ensuring that members and Registered Organisations work to recognised standards and in a manner which does not contravene the IfA Code of conduct or IfA Standards and guidance', which kind of sounds like a contradiction. It was ever thus...