17th May 2005, 07:54 PM
Summary of the First Cambridge Regional Meeting ? 23rd April 2005
There was a level of excitement prior to this meeting. Two national ?Diggers? Forum? meetings had been held before (in October 2004 and February 2005) but this was the first regional meeting to be held anywhere in the country. Up for discussion was the basic remit of the ?Diggers? Forum?, but also how it could work to meet the concerns of Diggers? in this region. Attendance was a little lower than had been hoped, but there were a wide range of units represented (including CAU, AFU, Suffolk Archaeological Service and MoLAS) and the majority of those attending were new members of the Forum. In addition there were number of Diggers who had expressed a strong interest in the ?Diggers? Forum?, but were unfortunately unable to attend this meeting.
The afternoon began with a small presentation on the brief history of the ?Diggers? Forum? to date. The Forum was set up in October 2004 as an autonomous special interest group within the IFA. It was recognised that diggers and other junior specialist staff are underrepresented within the professional bodies and the Forum intends to rectify this. The ?Statement of Intent?, which had been officially ratified at the previous national meeting on 19th February, was read out. It was generally agreed that the principle of ?Diggers? Forum? was a good one, but the direction that it takes from here is in the hands of its members.
The meeting then proceeded into a general debate about issues affecting those present, and also to provide ideas as to how the ?Diggers? Forum? should function. It was agreed that a key problem is that there is currently no adequate profile of the Diggers in the profession that we are aware of. One of the Forum?s main tasks will be to consult Diggers in this region about their issues and concerns. Having done this we will be in a position to provide help and advice to diggers as well campaigning for solutions to the broader employment issues.
A key issue raised during the discussion was the ?Rights? of diggers. Most site staff are not members of the IFA or a trade union, and this leaves a large number of people ill-informed about their basic rights regarding Health and Safety, pay and conditions of employment. It was decided that the ?Diggers? Forum? could fill this gap by providing information crucial to diggers in the form of a handout or leaflet.
There was also a strong feeling that Health and Safety was not being dealt with effectively by some units, with a number of site staff reporting avoidable accidents. This is an issue that should be a priority for the ?Diggers? Forum?. It should not be the case that diggers learn through experience and that it is the Construction Industry that often leads the way on issues of Health and Safety for Archaeologists. The Forum has plans to produce guidelines for site staff - so that they are familiar with their employers? responsibilities under current Health and Safety law - and a method for recording so-called ?near misses?. It was also felt that support should be given to those who feel that Health and Safety issues are not being properly addressed in their workplace.
Lastly, the ?Diggers? Forum? should be seen as an invaluable way of sharing information and practices between staff at different units. Even in Cambridge, members of the CAU and AFU rarely talk to each other, let alone discuss best practice and common problems. The ?Diggers? Forum? can provide a focal point for site staff across the region and even nationally. It is hoped that at future meetings time will be allocated to sharing basic information on how we do our job, and the conditions we work under.
All in all it was a very productive meeting and much was discussed. We hope to meet again in two months or so but in the meantime we anticipate a lot of work being done. Keep an eye on our page on the IFA website for any more news and information about membership - http://www.archaeologists.net/diggers. We hope to see you at the next meeting.
Tim Vickers, Secretary of ?The ?Diggers? Forum?- The East of England?
There was a level of excitement prior to this meeting. Two national ?Diggers? Forum? meetings had been held before (in October 2004 and February 2005) but this was the first regional meeting to be held anywhere in the country. Up for discussion was the basic remit of the ?Diggers? Forum?, but also how it could work to meet the concerns of Diggers? in this region. Attendance was a little lower than had been hoped, but there were a wide range of units represented (including CAU, AFU, Suffolk Archaeological Service and MoLAS) and the majority of those attending were new members of the Forum. In addition there were number of Diggers who had expressed a strong interest in the ?Diggers? Forum?, but were unfortunately unable to attend this meeting.
The afternoon began with a small presentation on the brief history of the ?Diggers? Forum? to date. The Forum was set up in October 2004 as an autonomous special interest group within the IFA. It was recognised that diggers and other junior specialist staff are underrepresented within the professional bodies and the Forum intends to rectify this. The ?Statement of Intent?, which had been officially ratified at the previous national meeting on 19th February, was read out. It was generally agreed that the principle of ?Diggers? Forum? was a good one, but the direction that it takes from here is in the hands of its members.
The meeting then proceeded into a general debate about issues affecting those present, and also to provide ideas as to how the ?Diggers? Forum? should function. It was agreed that a key problem is that there is currently no adequate profile of the Diggers in the profession that we are aware of. One of the Forum?s main tasks will be to consult Diggers in this region about their issues and concerns. Having done this we will be in a position to provide help and advice to diggers as well campaigning for solutions to the broader employment issues.
A key issue raised during the discussion was the ?Rights? of diggers. Most site staff are not members of the IFA or a trade union, and this leaves a large number of people ill-informed about their basic rights regarding Health and Safety, pay and conditions of employment. It was decided that the ?Diggers? Forum? could fill this gap by providing information crucial to diggers in the form of a handout or leaflet.
There was also a strong feeling that Health and Safety was not being dealt with effectively by some units, with a number of site staff reporting avoidable accidents. This is an issue that should be a priority for the ?Diggers? Forum?. It should not be the case that diggers learn through experience and that it is the Construction Industry that often leads the way on issues of Health and Safety for Archaeologists. The Forum has plans to produce guidelines for site staff - so that they are familiar with their employers? responsibilities under current Health and Safety law - and a method for recording so-called ?near misses?. It was also felt that support should be given to those who feel that Health and Safety issues are not being properly addressed in their workplace.
Lastly, the ?Diggers? Forum? should be seen as an invaluable way of sharing information and practices between staff at different units. Even in Cambridge, members of the CAU and AFU rarely talk to each other, let alone discuss best practice and common problems. The ?Diggers? Forum? can provide a focal point for site staff across the region and even nationally. It is hoped that at future meetings time will be allocated to sharing basic information on how we do our job, and the conditions we work under.
All in all it was a very productive meeting and much was discussed. We hope to meet again in two months or so but in the meantime we anticipate a lot of work being done. Keep an eye on our page on the IFA website for any more news and information about membership - http://www.archaeologists.net/diggers. We hope to see you at the next meeting.
Tim Vickers, Secretary of ?The ?Diggers? Forum?- The East of England?
