15th August 2008, 12:38 AM
I think we are talking about two different things:
1. Trying to stabilise the archaeological market and
2. trying to improve the pay of archaeologists.
The first point can be solved by measures like restricted access to the profession, which would serve to make pricing a bit more consistent and allow some units to become more efficient and potentially offer some staff more pay, but this won't increase the pay of all archaeologists I'm afraid. This is because the second issue is a result of the laws of supply and demand; so long as there are qualified archaeologists applying for jobs that offer low pay, and they do the job well enough for the company to continue operating, then there will not be a marked improvement in pay. I don't see this being resolved to anyone's satisfaction through the mechanisms proposed by either the Unions or the IFA.
I do of course applaud and support those who try to improve things though!
I do like your idea of emphasising the commercial advantages of archaeology to our clients, shovelnomore; this could be an interesting way of increasing demand for archaeological skills, which would increase the value of those skills......
"don't panic!"
1. Trying to stabilise the archaeological market and
2. trying to improve the pay of archaeologists.
The first point can be solved by measures like restricted access to the profession, which would serve to make pricing a bit more consistent and allow some units to become more efficient and potentially offer some staff more pay, but this won't increase the pay of all archaeologists I'm afraid. This is because the second issue is a result of the laws of supply and demand; so long as there are qualified archaeologists applying for jobs that offer low pay, and they do the job well enough for the company to continue operating, then there will not be a marked improvement in pay. I don't see this being resolved to anyone's satisfaction through the mechanisms proposed by either the Unions or the IFA.
I do of course applaud and support those who try to improve things though!
I do like your idea of emphasising the commercial advantages of archaeology to our clients, shovelnomore; this could be an interesting way of increasing demand for archaeological skills, which would increase the value of those skills......
"don't panic!"