@Aso,
It is very hard to explain to opposite side. They are well numbered,strong and out of question as well.
How to explain differently,when we all know that unit rate ( and money that ANSPs generates ) are designed to cover
ALL costs related to ATC bussines, at least in ECAC area?
If we need 100 atcos per year, than we have money for them. If we are short of 10 people, we have money to recruit, train and validate those 10. Among many other reasons, different unit rate is different because the price of ATCO ( or recruit,train and validate new one) is different from country to country. So there is no space to tell stories that we don't have money for new people or to employ enough qualified ATCOs.
But,
When you have ruling cast of ATM managers ( who can't loose their job for whatever reason) than you have a system that will blame everything except them.
And when I said, adjust unit rate according to performance rate, I just thought about that. Reduce management benefits if ANSP constantly are "behind traffic".
Every NM report starts with: "The biggest ATFM delay are Carlsruhe, Marseilles,Brest...)...every report. Does any manager from these units ever get be fired because of low performance? Of course, no. How the hell they could predict that they don't have enough people for incoming season ( or two,three in a row)....to ask more, or to organize job better, or to train better...
I don't know exact numbers, but I could bet (for a cocktail -somewhere in Spain) that every of these above mentioned ANSPs has 100% full all administrative and management positions but 70-80% of operational stuff (ATCOs) .
Reduce management benefits, if performance is "behind traffic". That was core of my idea.
The best benefits for best service. No other way around.
after 20+year in ATC and many year active in Union questions, I am pretty sure that "ATC stuffing issues" are just another way to say :"Raise our salaries..."
And yes, I am not idealist. I know that,
If Germany and France lead other way around -nothing will change. small ANSPs couldn't change high level political questions.