12th March 2009, 12:45 PM
Quote:quote:Originally posted by Plautus
Company directors make a lot by paying archaeologists as a Labourers rate and charging clients at a proffesionals rate for their services.
Company directors make a lot! I wish! Some of us do what we can to make sure our staff get a reasonable wage and working conditions, taking any hit to our own wages as a result when we are undercut by people less concerned with such things.
What I find particularly bad are some fairly shocking working conditions, often expected at some of the largest organisations, that still exist - rampant unpaid overtime, lack of facilities on site, people kept at the same level for years on end, people expected to do work above their position for a temporary increase in pay or nothing at all. All the recent talk about BAJR Fed is a positive move because as you mention 'the upper ranks of the IFA are populated by company owners' - how many RAOs can be accused of bad working practices and pretty poor wages (in view of the actual amount of time people spend at work for example)?
On the other hand, I've certainly come across plenty of people in archaeology who are, to be brutally honest, pretty poor at their job at best and totally useless and disinterested to the point that you wonder why they bother. Perhaps the recent culling will be beneficial in as much as it will get rid of some of the worst people and leave the best! Somehow I doubt it though - as prices are forced to drop to win work, standards are almost certainly going to slip.