15th February 2014, 10:12 AM
OK, I can see what you're getting at, but I'm not sure whether they would be able to do such a thing, either legally or practically. Lets face it, at least around this part of the world, there (surprisingly) seems to be a shortage of archaeologists willing to dig. I was careful there not to say 'shortage of diggers', as I'm kinda getting wary of that term. There are some who like to think that those who spend their time out in the field digging, recording and trying to make sense of the reality in the ground, whatever their educational qualifications or letters after their name, are lesser archaeologists than those who sit in offices and universities, with a degree and letters but maybe little if any practical knowledge of that which they preach, who rely on the data provided from the field to produce their glossy (and often in my view wildly unsupportable) theories for publication.
To my mind, the only sustainable way to raise pay and conditions within this industry, and like it or not it is an industry, is for us collectively, including the IfA, to raise the profile of archaeology with the public, so that it does become important, so that the paymasters have to think that they are not just losing money on some bureaucratic necessity but doing something that is important in its own right.
To my mind, the only sustainable way to raise pay and conditions within this industry, and like it or not it is an industry, is for us collectively, including the IfA, to raise the profile of archaeology with the public, so that it does become important, so that the paymasters have to think that they are not just losing money on some bureaucratic necessity but doing something that is important in its own right.