ATC manuals and money saving

[Mr Simple]

Anyone else pissed off with the burdensome and chaotic way that MATS Pt1/MATS pt2 amendments are now handled ?

To save money, plenty of units have stopped issuing MATS Pt1 and amendments. It is now assumed that everyone has a PC to then have a CD-ROM MATS 2.

Amendments/Temp Operating Instructions/Supplementary Instructions etc..etc.. are issued electronically willy-nilly. Easy to sit in an office and write them out, but when you have 29 (yes twenty-nine) different issues in January alone to read and digest you pass out with information overload. I don't think this is progress. It is buck passing of the highest order - it's now ATCOs responsibility to print out SIs/TOIs that they need - and then deal with the numerous mistakes and amended Instructions that inevitably follow.

NO-ONE believes the manuals any more !

Why should I pay for my own paper and ink for a hard copy - in fact why should I have to pay for a computer to read a manual that is required for my job? Can I claim the cost of a computer back on my tax return as work-related ?

I spend too much of my life looking at a VDU so I'd rather have a hard paper copy to read up over a cup of tea. I learn better that way.

[Warped Factor]

Mr S,

[quote]Anyone else pissed off with the burdensome and chaotic way that MATS Pt1/MATS pt2 amendments are now handled ?<hr></blockquote>

Yes, couldn't agree more.

WF.

[atcomarkingtime]

Mmm- at our unit ( Nats most northerly) we now have an area set aside for controllers to grab a folder with the new Part1 updates in and sign away once they are read and understood - we even have the volunteer Police checking that their colleagues have signed them! Bring back the part 1 so we can actually read and digest in our own time and not in our BREAK time!!. .2 hours on , half an hour off and read and digest the Part1??????

[Captain Windsock]

The question of tax releif for a home computer to read MATS Pt 11 was raised a while ago. Apparantly the tax office sent 5 letters to a senior lady in LATCC personnel on the subject all of which went unanswered. The tax office then took the stance that we should have no tax relief. This is only secondhand so some sort of corroboration would be needed before accusations became to heavy.

But back to the original point. I too think its a nonsence to try and read the Manual from a PC. It just isn't practical.

[ferris]

Sadly, oz went thru exactly same thing. MATs went down toilet, no-one trusted/refered to it anymore. College instructors ringing coal face to find out 'what do you do about.....' because it isn't in the book anymore (followed by 'how do I tell students that?'). Now a task force set up to try and put back what was there before. GREAT way to spend the budget boys. False economies are a short term managers' dream.

[No I meant turn RIGHT]

ferris,

Are you saying that the Oz MATs was pulled or just that you couldn't get hold of an up to date copy?

In the UK I think the problem is mainly that many units used to provide all their controllers with a copy (or all those who wanted one) but now have decided it costs too much.

[ferris]

Both really. They stopped individual copies as a cost cutting measure, then got rid of the support people who updated/checked it (and the process), then had someone rewrite in 'simplified form' and throw away 30 years of development, presenting the new version as a fait-accompli. MATS needed updating to embrace the totally new computer system (ala NERC), but the result was a disaster. Now money being wasted to fix a problem that should never have arisen.

[Cuddles]

Atcomarkingtime

You aren't seriously suggesting that you sit down to work without fully briefing yourself? :)

"2 hours on , half an hour off and read and digest the Part1??????"