we didnt ask for the sleeping building, and most of us didnt expect it to actually be built. we currently have the same sleeping arrangements as we have always had, that was good enough for me and most others i know.
as for most of our time on a break, yes we have a lot of breaks..... next time you fly and the atco involved has a raging airmiss as he/she has been sitting there for hours on end and is knackered just so they dont appear lazy i hope you wont mind too much. we are governed by the law the hours we work, not our choice mate.
as i stated, i dont think we are the only ones in the company, by all means come get a headset and give it a go.
a few weeks ago i had a long chat with some nice people at their request to talk about P-RNAV SID's. after about 45 minutes i asked if they had seen a radar replay of the airspace they wanted to change or even plugged in..... guess what, hadnt even crossed their minds as they didnt see it relevant... bloody brilliant.
and last time i checked, it was operational staff (and not only ATCOs) who make the majority of the profit. so goldfrog, if and when (subject pay and pensions outcome) my colleagues and i hand in our extra 'free' validations we do to help out the company as according to you we do nothing for free, why dont you come pick up the slack and do them?