What would happen if..

[mesolithic viking]

I've been digging for a few years now and I've been down the big unit/little unit and employed/self-employed paths. I find myself wondering this- if one day all the diggers in a unit were to unite and say "we want to get paid 80 brick a day, starting next week, or we're not coming in" what would happen?

[drpeterwardle]

We would have no archaeological companies left - they would all go bankrupt - except the ones who do pay this amount or dont do fieldwork.


Dr Peter

[I F Lostmetrowel]

Or would employ archaeologists that were willing to work for the cheap prices. Its happening in the building trade already!

Here there and everywhere, but still no trowel

[vulpes]

Or.... the company concerned would go bust by the loss of their narrow profit margins and you would all be out of jobs.

[trowelhead]

I suspect a lot of Polish, Romanian, Lithuanian and Kosovan would begin to be heard on site.

Close enough for a country job!

[Mna]

"We would have no archaeological companies left..."
Oh pleaseeeeee!
Its about time companies copped on and charged true market values. Archaeological companies in the UK are constantly selling themselves short and for what? A disaffected, underpaid and over exploited workforce and stupidly tight margins. Why dont they charge true construction rates for work.

The rake of Poles working on Irish sites have NOT led to a decrease in wages. When monitoring in Ireland I was charged out at 500 Euros a day of which I saw 250 Euros a day (thats around £700 a week in my pay packet). Maybe thats one of the benefits of a licencing system.

[Penfold]

£700 a week, very nice indeed. Makes my £55 a day look a bit sick in comparison.
You raise a good point Viking, one that my workmates and I have speculated about over the past few weeks, there are those of us who support your idea and I suspect more will begin to feel the same way?
The days coming most definitely, lets hope its soon.

Penfold

[historic building]

Well who would break first? The companies who will have financial reserves and far fewer staff to pay or the staff who are less likely to?

[Penfold]

Companies with financial reserves???
That cuts the playing field down considerably then.

Penfold

[m300572]

You'd need morethan all the digers in a unit - if all diggers turned round and said - in x months time we want to be paid a minimum of 400 squid a week (say)and all units then started to price their jobs accordingly you might get some action - it would help if the IFA and BAJR put theri rates up as a starting point.

(ps, my 19 year old son, who left school with 0 qualifications [through being brought up by my ex's family] is a dustman, getting £426 per week and up to £500 with overtime - what price a degree, postgrad qualifications and twenty five years experience?)