I freely admit that I do the odd AAVA here and there, and I am at the top of the ATCO 2 scale, and as the scheme is voluntary I think that is my choice to make. I also do not feel guilty about this as I feel that in last four or five years, our pay rises have been fairly good and our pension remains intact.
I also see AAVA's as a bonus which I use to enhance my quality of life away from work and it is not a necessity. I also respect that there are reasons why others do not want or need to do extra shifts (double ATCO salary, travelling etc), that is their choice too.
However, that said, when it comes to T & C's, pension and pensionable salary increases not meeting expectations. Then we have to look at what we are doing that is based on goodwill and AAVA's, without which NATS could not operate efficiently and would be penalised millions by the regulator each year.
In the short term, I think that the union should be looking to obtain more satisfactory suggestions by the management at the next meeting on 14th August, otherwise perhaps it would be a good time to consider whether we wish to volunteer services for AAVA's in September or October. As the summer PSS which generally finishes at the end of September, would mean that without AAVA's, the September roster would not work and capacity would fall well short of what was promised to the airlines under the OPA.
October would also come under serious pressure. Otherwise we may have missed the opertunity to make our intentions felt and show management that we are willing to play hardball!
In the long term, IFACTS training outside of our normal roster pattern should be considered a no no!
If NATS had been paying the proper amount into the scheme for the last two or three years whilst boasting about profits, would we be asking these questions now?
Last edited by AREA52; 6th August 2008 at 13:12.