Archaeologists against the cuts

[Stephen Jack]

I do find myself in that category... just been joined on site by another old lag, so that between us we have 60 years experience in the field... and that is the literal field. THe rest are good, but mention that they don't often meet people like us who can pass on hints like front filling the barrow or how to set up a total station over a peg in a minute flat.. (well... 1 min 8 seconds today!) and be ready to take points.....

Surveyors set up over nails, archaeologists set up over pegs. Good job you don't have consequencies when you screw up.

[Dinosaur]

Archaeologists don't then have to spend the entire morning looking for the nail in the mud with a metal detector, also pegs are rather easier to hook a tape over......actually these days it tends to be a thing-on-a-stick, so survey nails will soon be a thing of the past except the one stuck in the pavement outside our office for calibrating the thing-on-a-stick...... :face-stir:

[archaeologistkarl]

[quote=pete]Archaeologists Against the Cuts
from Archaeologists for Global Justice



"ordinary working people, who face the biggest cuts in
services and living standards since the 1930s."
My lord they can see into the future they know how much our living standards are going to be cut, most people cant agree on a standard measure of living standards! Archaeologists for Global Justice should tell use all the next few winners of the grand national and we can all bet our way out of the poor house.

"If they want to cut, let them cut executive salaries, bank bonuses,
and corporate profit."
Ok I know archaeology as an issue with corporate profit, most unit cant find it at the best of times but profit is GOOD. Profit become something called capital which then is spent on buying things the company needs take for example an Airline like Air France or United Airline customers pay in cash these airliners have an heavy flow of cash in fuel cost are not too bad and are only bought on contrack one to two times a year, and they make huge profits. So far bad people bad only that have you see the price of a new plane these days they splash out every so often (every 5-10 years) buying large number of plane 20-30 at a time in multi-billion pound deals, so how do you controll too much profit when it only so large is the short to medium term.

Also after looking at there little Principles had to laugh at one "We believe in world peace and as archaeologists we will not provide any direct or indirect support to armed interventions" So they don't pay taxes as that funds the Armed forces, they dont shop at any UK shop which as a pention plan for its employie has BaE stock has BaE stock is heavaly infested in by pention plans, heck the defance industry is so large in the UK it is very very hard not to indirectly support armed interventions.

[Mike.T.]

Problem solved then, we can save the country by shutting all the uni courses, think of the money saved! Get shot of all the inexperienced youth, cull the useless and jobs for life for the rest of us with trebled wages. Good one, suits me, won't ever again have to explain the difference between a spade and a shovel to someone with an archaeology MA :face-approve:

I wasn't suggesting a ban on new entrants into Archaeology, just that experienced diggers should get paid what they're worth.

[BAJR]

Surveyors set up over nails, archaeologists set up over pegs. Good job you don't have consequencies when you screw up.

As Dino says... try putting a nail into a muddy site My pegs are 40cm long banged in to a depth of 30cm... with a nail on top. and yes my survey is critical... I am also more accurate than a buildings surveyor - well thats not hard! anyway I was talking to another surveyor - commercial one... and he like me, now mostly uses a Diff GPS.. but for site work a good old Leica TCR does the job nicely... and most people can be trained to use it. (over a peg

And Mike T.. like you I wish that we got paid more than a newbie... they should get more as well.... however, it would be nice that years of experience was rewarded... I would also like to see some more reaction in us... we seem to be going down with the ship, standing to attention as the shit gathers around our feet!

[monty]

we seem to be going down with the ship, standing to attention as the shit gathers around our feet!

ain't we just...and for all the talk (and action) in the last few years...... we are still right down there and it be gettin' deeper by the day !!! :face-rain:

[gwyl]

ain't we just...and for all the talk (and action) in the last few years...... we are still right down there and it be gettin' deeper by the day !!! :face-rain:

course joining and getting involved in either/and a union/DF seem to fill most staff with fear. i'm the only union member at my employer, and when i have spoken to other colleagues of their joining - solidarity sister/brother - their reaction has been less than enthusiastic - by the by, my younger sister, who is not an archaeologist, but who has had work related problems would not dream of joining a union; this despite a long history of conservative union members (indeed the old printers' chapels were more true blue than dead red) - and i wonder whether it is an age-related problem
any answers?
Also at the DF annual meeting there were i believe 8 attendees - pretty woeful - even if it was in London and hard to get to for most - at least 4 of which came from outside

[Drunky]

Just heard that English Heritage are facing 32% cuts and Higher Education 40%

[Unitof1]

English Heritage are facing 32% cuts

is that to their pensions?

[GnomeKing]

@ '1 leave it out! there are surely more disturbing wastes of your precious tax contribution! - running down well established national bodies in the heritage sector can not be helpful at this time - i am fucking annoyed that my prospects of a decent pensi