From Britarch

[tom wilson]

I seem to recall that a group of specialists were laid off from MoLAS in the late nineties, including the less common specialisms like slag, timber, etc. When I was at MoLAS we were employing those people as external specialists, no doubt at greater expense. Other specialists I have spoken to have intimated that getting laid off was the best thing that happened to them. Is there anyone out there that can comment more authoitatively on those previous layoffs, or my optimistic view of self-employed specialists? As far as MoLSS are concerned the MoL really looks to be shooting itself in the foot. However, since any rising cost of external specialists will be explicitly passed on to the client (so not the fault of the main archaeological contractor) perhaps this is efficient risk management on MoLAS's part. In that case, those soon-to-be very in-demand specialists should receive our support in charging rates that reflect the business risk being passed directly onto their shoulders.
God knows what the management cuts are about though. That looks like more typical management consultant hack and slash mentality to me. Re-interviewing people for their existing job is generally regarded as a way to introduce wage cuts, is it not?

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