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17th December 2008, 02:39 PM
from the IFA website:
IFA News : IfA - Challenges
Posted by ifa-admin on 8/12/2008 14:21:42 (117 reads)
IfA realises that members are facing a serious situation at the moment. Not only is the Institute planning to hold a seminar to look at how we best we can deal with the economic situation, but it will also be taking a number of proposals to Executive committee on 17 December
Sorry its a bit late as they are meeting today. But can I encourage any members (or I suppose non-members) to use the comment facility to put their views about this issue. I'm sure there'll be a further news item with what the proposals are. I imagine they will include a pay freeze and binning the benchmarking exercise, but I hope to be proved wrong!
I will be asking the IFA whether in the interests of communication, they could send their news items by email to members.
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17th December 2008, 02:59 PM
Thanks.... pity they did not post anything here... or on the Facebookpage...
I would like to say that a pay freeze is exactly what should not happen... though I am convinced that is what will be agreed... as you say... prove me wrong... but then... Who has the right to decide? Who is asked? More than ever I see a need for the BF
"Gie's a Job.."
Prof. 'Dolly' Parton
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17th December 2008, 03:07 PM
I imagine there will be a pay freeze, dumping of the benchmarking, and general failure to seize the opportunity by sticking their heads in the sand. I hope I am wrong.
The real issues that face archaeology are an oversupply of potential workers every year, and a lack of value put on skills and experience that means that people are hired and spat out, to be replaced by the next green graduates. Change that system, you change archaeology for the better.
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17th December 2008, 03:14 PM
A typical IFA response indeed ! I too hope this will not be the case. i totally agree with Bob's comments on the oversupply of potential workers, this issue desperately needs changing - any ideas how this may be effected anyone ?? archaeology has to change ..and hopefully for the better !!!!
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17th December 2008, 03:26 PM
I think bob puts it well... value of skills ....
"Gie's a Job.."
Prof. 'Dolly' Parton
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17th December 2008, 03:30 PM
By the time the IFA have finished talking and discusing the credit crunch it will have come and gone, and besides anyone that works in archaeology always feels the pinch because the IFA have sigularly failed to improve the lot of anyone working in archaeolgy since they began.. anyone read the diggers not alots changed guys.. useless.
Close enough for a country job!
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17th December 2008, 03:33 PM
Hi Monty, this isn't a response, just that they will be having a get-together. hopefully they will come up with positive as well as negative solutions.
Personally I know of one unit that is subbing almost all its diggers to a neighbouring unit as it has no work. That should be encouraged by the IFA rather than people flitting about on weekly contracts.
Reminds me of years ago when me and some mates were facing the sack, we were going to set up our own archaeologists collective, subbing out to units, we'd only let the best join, and share the work equally, and take in trainees, make them work like fXXk and turn them into ****hot diggers. Luckily we all kept our jobs so never got it off the ground....
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17th December 2008, 03:44 PM
Quote:quote:Originally posted by monty
i totally agree with Bob's comments on the oversupply of potential workers, this issue desperately needs changing - any ideas how this may be effected anyone ??
Well the effect of paying for university education has taken numbers right down, and I hear rumours of several big departments having problems filling undergrad places and potentially folding, certainly things are well down from the 100+ undergrads in one department alone which they were at 10-15 years ago.Unfortunately two of the uni's in 'trouble' are amongst the best at producing site ready diggers. Bad news indeed. If you have to pay to get a degree, lets face it you won't pick archaeology -except in 12years I've never had to pay back a bean to Student Loans as I never earnt enough!
It's not so much about restricting access, but about valuing skills and people, its why I hope so much for a joined up NVQ/degree system, and not just a box ticking CPD scheme. We must value our staff, not treat them as expendable. Unfortunately with ups and downs in building, it is not easy to maintain a stable workforce, and the alternative is back to the unstability of the circuit. No thanks. Some middle way? If we value ourselves as a profession then we should value our staff. Its a change in attitude, and that is needed now, what better time to get together and thrash out the future. I look forward to hearing what the IFA is proposing, and hope it is good as well as bad.
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17th December 2008, 03:51 PM
quote from trowelhead:...........'IFA have singularly failed to improve the lot of anyone working in archaeology since they began..'im sure this thought is shared by many fieldworkers and leads to poor recruitment levels. i do hope that IFA come up with something positive..and it would have been polite to inform members of the seminar.
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17th December 2008, 03:57 PM
Sorry Monty, but they did inform members, via the news pages, which is how they usually do it. I think though we agree though that an email news service is more immediate.
I'm at risk of sounding like a IFA stooge! which I'm certainly not, but IFA bashing like trowelhead's -whilst I understand the sentiments, and agree with you that it is a commonly held view- is uninformed and pointless. Anyway, we all agree that we want positive proposals to come out of this, and an inclusive and open debate.
