Heathrow tower controllers already get paid 15000 quid more than most other airport towers - and the cost of living is the same as for other Nats units in the southeast. In fact, a lot of the controllers live nearer to other Nats units, than to Heathrow.
So surely the lure of extra money isn't enough - there'll have to be something else...
But as has been said, there's the "I'm outside CAS and take more risks" and "I have more movements" and "Mine is more complex" arguments to get round. If one persons pay goes up, others will want more too.
And remember, airport movements are not necessarily a good pointer as to how busy a unit is - Cardiff have more area movements, and then Farnborough has the busiest Lars in the country...
It's a difficult situation to resolve. At the moment, I just want to make sure that we get a decent pay rise next year...
Sonic