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31st October 2006, 01:52 PM
Notwithstanding the kids, the mortgage and the camaraderie (although all are massively important considerations), I fail to understand why you would continue to work for a company that refuses to pay you a competitive salary and whose Director/Manager stamps their illogical, childlike feet whenever pay increases to bring salaries of permanent staff in line with industry minima are raised.
I don't understand the argument "if we increase staff salaries to reflect the industry norm we become uncompetitive for larger jobs". As others on this thread have already stated small archaeological companies can and do pay the Bajr minima, or better, and stay profitable.
Anyway, surely the spread of cost over larger jobs means that this type of project would more easily soak up the increase in staff salary whereas the smaller jobs would be those more difficult to cost competitively.
If the argument is "we could not pay this increase now" then that it is entirely understandable. However, the increase in salary could be costed into quotations during the ensuing 12 months with a pay rise after.
Is it possible that this companies business model is to poorly pay its junior and middle managers, who probably do unpaid overtime etc., therefore enabling it to undercut its competitors and make a profit due to volume of work? - (Directors/Senior Managers go laughing all the way to the bank).
Happiness depends on ourselves.
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31st October 2006, 02:48 PM
As pointed out by several other posters, the size of the unit should not prevent it from being able to pay BAJR/IFA minimum salaries - which are low enough in themselves.
That being so, you have to ask why the company 'can't afford' to pay the mimimum salaries. There are three main possibilities that I can think of:
1. The unit is badly managed and can find no other way to keep its costs down to a competitive level.
2. The unit management has made a conscious decision to use low pay as a way to under-cut its competitors.
3. The unit management has made a conscious decision about the profit level it wants to achieve and has chosen this method to achieve it.
None of these get any sympathy from me, and if any of them are true then the continuation of this situation simply helps to hold wage levels down across the industry. Improved management and attitudes should enable this unit to phase-in higher wages over a period of time. If they can't or won't achieve that, then I wouldn't cry if they did go to the wall.
1man1desk
to let, fully furnished
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31st October 2006, 02:54 PM
Well said 1man1desk.
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31st October 2006, 03:29 PM
Well I would like to say that I do agree with the majority of the recent posts. Geodan's final paragraph and 1man1desk's point 1 are particularly accurate.
However, I do find it worrying how blasé fellow archaeologists are about a large number of peoples livelihoods.
The general attitude appears to be that if the management/ directors/ unit cannot or will not up the staffs pay then the staff should suffer!?!?! If the unit was âto go to the wallâ there would be a lot of unemployed people and I cant see that that is the correct answer, no matter what the situation.
Surely as colleagues working in the same industry you would all understand that if we could have moved to another job with better pay that did not require moving to the other side of the country and up rooting family and leaving friends, it would have been done already.
Though to return to my original point, I do believe that the general feeling is that if smaller units can not keep up with change, then it is tough. I am not saying that I disagree but I think it would be a shame if smaller units became a thing of the past. Life is not always as black and white as some people seem to want it to be.
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31st October 2006, 05:04 PM
The point is Gizmo. That smaller units have demonstrated that they can cope with change and some have even embraced it by both supporting (and in some cases exceeding) IFA and BAJR pay scales and joining the IFA RAO scheme. This has clearly not sent them to the wall - but instead may have actually improved their position. By attracting larger and more discerning clients, contracts via arch. consultants, and by increasing the morale of their entire workforce by implementing better pay and training. Your management's unenlightened attitude in this instance could be compounding the problem. What they should instead be doing is responding to these fundamental changes in archaeology and looking at ways to gradually improve pay and conditions over time. Not just ruling it out of hand. Loyalty is a 2 way street, why anyone should reward an employers intransigence with loyalty is beyond me.
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31st October 2006, 05:35 PM
Gizmo..... perhaps you should give me a call... this in some ways needs a verbal discussion with me directly. (see email)
Also... the suggestion that small Units can't compete when faced with industry minimums (both IFA and BAJR) is not a good management arguement. As I know who this is- you will be aware of what I have tried to do... though perhaps some has been lost in translation.. perhaps not.
I am quite willing to work with comapnies to allow leaway over a timescale where pay is raised to an acceptable level, the BAJR scales have been around as a 'standard' now for 3 years, so they should not come as too much of a shock.. and the company should be working towards raising salaries instead of giving excuses why they can't. If I read the first post correctly the idea was that as it was unable to pay BAJR rates it would not go for Big jobs, and could not afford to keep staff... Hmmmmmm methinks something is not quite right... anyway... give me a call... I haev emailed you my number
"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu
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31st October 2006, 05:37 PM
I agree with you completely vulpes, and I am well aware of how and why things should change. My comments were aimed at those who think that the answer to the problem was to simply get rid of the unit.
I am talking about loyalty to our fellow worker. When you work with a talented group of people who achieve high standards, isnât that something worth fighting for?
My point is rather than demanding instantaneous change and if it is not forthcoming writing the whole unit off, would it not be better to work as a team, within the unit and the profession as a whole? One of the reasons I became an archaeologist was the community spirit but more and more I hear complaints about the job rather than anything positive. Is it just that people do not discuss the good things on this forum?
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31st October 2006, 06:51 PM
Gizmo this is something I have discussed with friends as well, I agree it would have a detrimental effect on smaller unit, but bigger uints will be loathe to pay increases, its all about profits.
My fear is that while some units may well agree with a pay rise, dont ask who I have no who would, wont it let others who dont agree to under bid them, I still think the whole problem lies within the tendering system, that I believe is what must change before we anything else change as this is where the root cause of all the pay arguments lie.
If I'm wrong then I will hold my hands up, but this is how I see it, I know the IFA keeps on going on about x amount of members to join so we can become an organised group of professionals but I cant afford to join either them or our illustrious so called union Prospect.
I wish this wasnt a negative attitude but I cant see a happ way out of it.
May god go with you in all the dark places you must walk.
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31st October 2006, 07:31 PM
Hello Mr. Hostey, yes I am aware of what you have tried to do in this case and we are all very grateful for your efforts.
I am sorry if my original point about small units got lost along the way but replies became focused on the example rather than the question. I suppose I should have seen that coming!!!!
I am afraid I get a little upset at peoples suggestions that it would be ok for the company to go bust because they do not pay at the required level. Especially as this is mine and my colleagues jobs people seem happy to throw to the wind. In some cases over 10 years has been invested and that is not something that you just walk away from because things do not change over night. Will reply to your e-mail now!
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31st October 2006, 08:34 PM
p.s.
I never intended to imply that BAJR was at fault in the matter of said unit no longer being able to advertise for staff and therefore suffering. This is of course a pathetic excuse for management not paying full time staff at the required rate. Sorry if this got misinterpreted during my rant!
