Working Hours? Do you ?

[kevin wooldridge]

I'm not sure legalisation is the problem, or that improving it is the answer (although it might help).

In Norway they have had a Cultural Heritage law since 1905 that broadly states anything in the ground earlier than 1538 (the date of the Reformation in Norway) is protected. Allied with protection for maritime heritage predating 1912 and similarly for Same cultural heritage in the north of the country. Very simple law that requires everyone who wishes to disturb a site of of unknown archaeological potential to obtain an evaluation and dispensation before their project can proceed. Fines for failing to follow the law have exceeded 1,000,000 krone (?110,000) and have required the removal of the illegal development.

How does this benefit archaeologists? There are archaeological evaluators (normally the county councils) who have to employ archaeologists to carry out field work, administer the system, prepare reports. There are the national and regional bureaucracies responsible for receiving the reports and making decisions on whether dispensations are to be granted, again all of whom have to employ archaeologists. And then finally are the 5 archaeological museums, 3 maritime museums and 2 national bodies responsible for archaeological fieldwork all of whom employ archaeologists on a variety of contracts and for varying periods of time. Most of these persons are on the 'national' pay scales so all positions and archaeological hierarchies throughout the nation can be instantly compared i.e archaeologists in Bergen on paypoint 44 know that archaeologists in Oslo on paypoint 44 are getting the same salary. All expenses are set on a national rate commensorate to the number of hours you are out of the office and the standard of accommodation you are staying in. Day rate expenses average about ?100 per day for each day you are away from the office including weekends. Nearly all projects use hire cars so the only question of recompense is getting money back for fuel.

There are of course some drawbacks and recent attention has been on the lack of protection to the built heritage (few buildings dated to before 1538 survive in Norway) and the archaeology of the Post-reformation period. But the legislation that is there, does in general seem to benefit heritage and archaeological employment.