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+--- Thread: General Rant! (/showthread.php?tid=3984)
General Rant! - Comarch - 23rd June 2011
Most unit managers I've known couldn't manage themselves out of a paper bag. They are like a conference team playing a premiership team when they come up against developers. They have been wanting to get rid of pesky archaeologists from their sites since PPG16 and now they see their chance to use their muscle.
General Rant! - kevin wooldridge - 23rd June 2011
On the question of LIFO its a little more complex than just looking after the old lags....I am guessing that any employer who has to lay off staff will in the first instance look for contract expired staff, voluntary redundancy and staff with less than 1 years service. All of those can be dismissed at virtually no cost and with the widest legal latitude. Staff who require redundancy notice, redundancy payments and other settlements will always be protected ahead of the short term or temporary employee. It's not discrimination, it's common sense....
General Rant! - Sith - 23rd June 2011
deadlylampshade Wrote:Universities have been aware of this for donkeys...
I'm not sure that they have (even in the donkeys years since I left university), as the majority of academic archaeologists have little experience outside of the university sector. Although I inderstand that things are now changing due to cuts in HE funding, they haven't had to rely on income from developer led archaeology to pay their way, so I think a lot of people will be in for a shock.
General Rant! - Marcus Brody - 23rd June 2011
Comarch Wrote:top heavy managment all trying hard to justify their existance.
Marcus coughs and looks a bit shifty.
Well of course, I'm absolutely essential, but I know exactly what you mean!
Good line about General Grant, Deadly
. As regards universities warning prospective archaeology students about the realities of life as a commercial archaeologist, I don't really think this is their job. As I said above, their role is to educate people, not to ensure they have jobs at the end of the course. Arguably, it's the responsibility of the student to look at the likely job prospects and pay levels in their chosen field before embarking on a course of study, but I know that not many do - I certainly didn't pay much attention to my parents' questions about what I'd do with an archaeology degree. That's not to lessen the sympathy I have for any recent archaeology graduate trying to start out at the moment - when they started their course, 3 years ago (or 4 if in Scotland), the financial climate was hugely different, and employment prospects, while perhaps not great in terms of money, were at least much much better than they are now.
General Rant! - P Prentice - 23rd June 2011
Comarch Wrote:, I think we have seen the best of it. Not just because of the appalling situation of fieldwork at the moment, but also ......... Archaeology needs to speak with one voice with public support, but, .......even getting diggers to unite as a body has been, so far, fruitless. See past threads ad nauseum.
we will cetainly get the profession we deserve
General Rant! - tobytjek1 - 23rd June 2011
Sorry for the delayed reply Prentice, and yes I travelled a round trip of 150 miles by train to get to my unit, then we drove to a site about an hour away for around 9 months I think I did that, all for the greater good
Thats one of the reasons I get soo naffed off with the last in first out policy of pretty much every unit. But hey ho, thats just me being bitter 
! I am glad that my simple thread has provoked a bit of discussion. Keep up the good work people! :face-approve:
General Rant! - deadlylampshade - 23rd June 2011
Marcus Brody Wrote:Good line about General Grant, Deadly
Oh good...I feared it was pearls before swine...
General Rant! - deadlylampshade - 23rd June 2011
Sith Wrote:I'm not sure that they have (even in the donkeys years since I left university), as the majority of academic archaeologists have little experience outside of the university sector.
Uh oh...I can feel John McEnroe coming on...
You cannot be serious , surely? Meant in the most polite way of course but they MUST have some idea what the little darlings are going to do in the big bad world (other than MAs).???:0
General Rant! - Odinn - 23rd June 2011
deadlylampshade Wrote: You cannot be serious , surely? Meant in the most polite way of course but they MUST have some idea what the little darlings are going to do in the big bad world (other than MAs).???:0Do you really think so? Some may have an idea but the majority of those that I know these days are utterly clueless about work outside the academic/university sphere. They also don't see it as their job to prepare students for life in commercial archaeology. Instead they are bent on creating lots of little academics out of those that survive their first degrees and go on to study MAs and PhDs.
General Rant! - deadlylampshade - 23rd June 2011
Well stap me! I must be more naive than they are!!!:0
Heading to the bar to recover....xx(