1st December 2008, 02:17 PM
I have to echo oldgirl's comments.
I understand the increasing frustration, but is setting up another organisation the solution? With another set of subs to pay? As a member of the IFA, the Diggers Forum, and Prospect (as well as various societies etc), I don't really want to have to join anything else. I'd rather these organisations did their job and represented me from their respective corners:
-Prospect as my union over pay and conditions on small scale and industry wide, to argue the case for improving working life,with the logistical and size backup to argue these effectively and as part of a wider labour (small l) movement pressuring across the board, as well as helping out when the sh*t goes down.
-IFA to try and sort the profession out and uphold standards, and the Digger's Forum within that to represent those that don't have a real voice within the IFA.
I don't expect the IFA to be my union, and I don't expect my union to set standards for watching briefs. I'd be wary of starting up another group without putting a lot of thought into it. Maybe an evolution of the DF into something more inclusive? But the bottom tier needs representing? Or another IFA group for say 'commercial archaeologists'?
I realise many don't like the IFA, I'm not their biggest fan, but I'd like to do something about it and get this profession back on track. Part of that may be realising that whilst having effective lobbying groups like BAJR (however representative) pitching in from the outside is essential, that we need to balance this by constructive engagement inside the representative groups that exist.
What kind of groups do you feel are unrepresented, what form would any new group take, and what could they do above what is being done now? Unfortunately I often worry that its never going to get any better without the whole industry being ripped apart and put back together. And that won't be fun.
I understand the increasing frustration, but is setting up another organisation the solution? With another set of subs to pay? As a member of the IFA, the Diggers Forum, and Prospect (as well as various societies etc), I don't really want to have to join anything else. I'd rather these organisations did their job and represented me from their respective corners:
-Prospect as my union over pay and conditions on small scale and industry wide, to argue the case for improving working life,with the logistical and size backup to argue these effectively and as part of a wider labour (small l) movement pressuring across the board, as well as helping out when the sh*t goes down.
-IFA to try and sort the profession out and uphold standards, and the Digger's Forum within that to represent those that don't have a real voice within the IFA.
I don't expect the IFA to be my union, and I don't expect my union to set standards for watching briefs. I'd be wary of starting up another group without putting a lot of thought into it. Maybe an evolution of the DF into something more inclusive? But the bottom tier needs representing? Or another IFA group for say 'commercial archaeologists'?
I realise many don't like the IFA, I'm not their biggest fan, but I'd like to do something about it and get this profession back on track. Part of that may be realising that whilst having effective lobbying groups like BAJR (however representative) pitching in from the outside is essential, that we need to balance this by constructive engagement inside the representative groups that exist.
What kind of groups do you feel are unrepresented, what form would any new group take, and what could they do above what is being done now? Unfortunately I often worry that its never going to get any better without the whole industry being ripped apart and put back together. And that won't be fun.