28th March 2010, 11:36 AM
Thanks for the info Kevin.
So in principal the IFA support union membership within archaeology. How helpful would the IFA be in promoting the idea of joining a union, given that one of the aims of unionisation as I understand it would be to create better career structure via differing pay bands based on field experience?
Having noted a few common concerns amongst participants on the forum. Pay and conditions, career structure and professionalism I am moved to suggest these concerns are intrinsically linked to one another and could be addressed via unionisation and that this is something which the IFA should have equal interest in?
As stated above the introduction of pay bands expressing experience would presumably encourage firms to employ people in areas of responsibility i.e. supervision of sites etc who have the experience and skill necessary to do so. It would seem to make more viable financial sense in this instance to promote an experienced excavator to a supervisory role with a small hike in wages rather than give the role to someone with less experience and presumably at a greater increase of pay from a lower rate less experienced field staff would start on, while still having the experienced members of staff on higher rates of pay? If the facilitation of banded pay based on experience did indeed provoke such change then the up shot of this would seem to be an increase of professionalism within archaeology? As such changes along these lines would appear to be in accordance with the aims of the IFA?
Unionisation = better pay and conditions + career structure = Increased professionalism!
So in principal the IFA support union membership within archaeology. How helpful would the IFA be in promoting the idea of joining a union, given that one of the aims of unionisation as I understand it would be to create better career structure via differing pay bands based on field experience?
Having noted a few common concerns amongst participants on the forum. Pay and conditions, career structure and professionalism I am moved to suggest these concerns are intrinsically linked to one another and could be addressed via unionisation and that this is something which the IFA should have equal interest in?
As stated above the introduction of pay bands expressing experience would presumably encourage firms to employ people in areas of responsibility i.e. supervision of sites etc who have the experience and skill necessary to do so. It would seem to make more viable financial sense in this instance to promote an experienced excavator to a supervisory role with a small hike in wages rather than give the role to someone with less experience and presumably at a greater increase of pay from a lower rate less experienced field staff would start on, while still having the experienced members of staff on higher rates of pay? If the facilitation of banded pay based on experience did indeed provoke such change then the up shot of this would seem to be an increase of professionalism within archaeology? As such changes along these lines would appear to be in accordance with the aims of the IFA?
Unionisation = better pay and conditions + career structure = Increased professionalism!