What was Archaeology like in the Past

[Dinosaur]

This should go well with the Diggers Charter and Unionisation. :face-approve:

Following on from a conversation on site today (ok, so a lot of shouting over the wind!), varying standards/remuneration for accommodation is another massive variable between units which could be worth some research, some provide it, some don't, some charge for it, some pay an allowance, where it's provided it varies from the local council's caravan park social reject dumping ground (have been a victim of that) up to 5* luxury holiday cottages (am sitting in one of those at this moment) - it's usually not at all obvious what's being provided from job adverts or until you actually turn up, and less experienced diggers generally have no warning that they're about to get shafted

[kevin wooldridge]

Re accomodation.

Here in Norway archaeologists are paid a daily allowance for accomodation and meals and then arrange their own place to stay. Sure the allowance is taxable and sure it only covers the bottom end of the B&B or cheap motel or youth hostel range, but at least it does offer some choice. In exceptional circumstances e.g if you are working somewhere where accomodation is prohibitively expensive and costs more than the daily allowance, the cost can be billed directly back to the project, but that is quite unusual. Of course people still moan (Archaeologist - it's the nature of the beast to moan!!), but it does avoid the 'social dumping' level of accomodation alluded to by Dinosaur.

I am surprised that UK units don't take a similar approach....

[gwyl]

I am surprised that UK units don't take a similar approach....

When working for one of the larger units in the UK in the 90s i offered to sort out my own accommodation for the equivalent of the sub - which was ?15 per night (undercutting the B&B costs by about ?30) - but was told that they could not do that as it 'would create a precedent'. Unfortunate really, they paid ?60-odd per night (accommodation + sub), and i still went and crashed where i had intended half the time i was on those jobs.
After all, one of my most cherished memories of a B&B was in Maidstone, where we turned up and the door was answered by a bloke who looked as though he had most of his dinners from the previous 3 months on his vest; the place smelled of boiled cabbage; the floors were tacky to the touch, and - if memory serves me right - the sheets were nylon. truly you couldn't have made it up.
they moved us out within a couple of days.
we've had a few jobs - away and local - and put staff up. the thing i realise now is that it is luck of the draw whether the accommodation is good or bad. which, of course, you only find out after the fact.

[BAJR]

Perhaps - once the Charter is accepted, this will be another box in the advert for digging jobs

[Dinosaur]

Would be good, sometimes lower-paid jobs but with decent digs are better that more money but dumped in a ****hole. Did one job for a majorish County unit in the mid 90's where you had to drive through an open sewer (literally) to get to the needle-strewn semi-derelict caravan park they thought counted as 'accom. provided' - we had to pretty much move out every morning since the caravans got broken into every day while people were at work (easy target since everyone else on the park was unemployed, we stood out just a bit, having the only 2 vehicles on the site)....it continually amuses me to hear that it's still the same old usual suspects providing c**p accommodation, when some units (luckily including my current lot) usually/always manage something decent so it can clearly be done without significantly compromising the ability to win jobs... :face-stir:

[gwyl]

some units (luckily including my current lot) usually/always manage something decent so it can clearly be done without significantly compromising the ability to win jobs... :face-stir:

i guess that is something to do with the management; it's almost as though some perceive archaeology as something which is only being done in the meantime that happens to have over-run whereas others do see it as, an albeit frustrating and impoverished, career

[Dinosaur]

i guess that is something to do with the management; it's almost as though some perceive archaeology as something which is only being done in the meantime that happens to have over-run whereas others do see it as, an albeit frustrating and impoverished, career

Its not just units, would help if some clients were a bit more realistic. On the plus side, on Thursday I actually got a personal thankyou to pass onto the crew from the current client (we're talking senior manager from major utilities company) for having stuck it out on site through the arctic weather, little things like that make an amazing difference to morale :face-approve:

[Jack]

Yeah, I've been made aware of a client (a well known large construction company) that actually refused to accept to pay any archaeologists 'driving time' (to and from site) that appeared on the invoices.
It seems more and more clients are being really picky about what they will pay archaeologists for, and actually scrutinising the invoices.

Its funny (not really) that the same rules didn't apply to the company putting the pipe in - but I'm not bitter:face-stir:

[troll]

Isn`t Maidstone a delighful place!? Gwyl- I`m surprised you didn`t wear flak jackets the moment you turned off the M20. I was once billeted in the home of a rampant alcoholic. The fridge was dripping in blood and occupied by all manner of mammal parts. The dinners involved embedded insects and the landlady had a nasty but strangely comforting habit of exposing her breasts at me during breakfast. All very well you may say but they virtually reached the kitchen floor.
Ended up in a two man tent at the foot of a giant spoil heap on a very wet clay site once. Lived on site in the tool shed once too. In recent times, one notable place actually turned out to be a hostel for those unlucky youngsters suffering from self-induced chemical obsessions. Simply marvelous! Minging but marvelous. So much so, my P.O laid on top of his bed in his work clothes to keep clean.
On one occasion, my employer put us up in a rather spiffing hotel. The end of the digging day was celebrated with a shower, a sauna, a swim in the pool and a jolly good fart in the bubble bath. The bar food was invigorating as was the wildlife on the many-program telly device in the privacy of ones own room too.
The accomo for projects can range from toilets to plush and all in between. Depends on the employer and his/her ethics and budget. Hey ho. What is not acceptable is the total lack of on-site welfare provision for field staff. Ever.

[Dinosaur]

...The accomo for projects can range from toilets to plush and all in between. Depends on the employer and his/her ethics and budget. Hey ho. What is not acceptable is the total lack of on-site welfare provision for field staff. Ever.

Entirely by coincidence, became the subject of a lengthy monitoring form from a curator this morning, and for the first time I can ever recall there was a whole section on welfare facilities (luckily passed with flying colours, even the microwave works, and luckily 'cleanliness' didn't seem to cover the layer of mud over everything) - when I commented on this the response was that, yeah, they're fed up with people doing even quite big jobs on their patch without so much as a cabin, so in at least one small corner of the country there's some hope for us diggers from that (slightly unexpected) direction :face-approve:

- although I'm not clear how they could actually enforce decent welfare, not really part of the average curator's remit..... :face-thinks: