Originally Posted by
10JQKA
Civilair put out a media release in February which is the one that has been quoted this last week on various media outlets.
Also AFAP have a lengthy news item on the topic which I linked on a previous post.
MEDIA RELEASE 28 February 2023
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL STAFFING
Civil Air is the association representing the professional, technical, and industrial needs of Australian Air Traffic Controllers and Air Traffic Control Supporting Staff.
Recent reports have highlighted the staffing shortfall within air traffic control, and the constant reliance on overtime leading to increased levels of fatigue and work/life balance issues for our members. In addition, the staffing shortfall has created consequent unfair pressure upon those who continue to provide professional operational services to the industry.
The COVID-19 pandemic shut down national and international borders and significantly altered the aviation landscape from March 2020.
In July 2021, Airservices offered a Retirement Incentive Scheme (RIS) to its air traffic services staff. 138 Air Traffic Service staff took this offer between 30 August 2021 and 17 June 2022. Of the 138, at least 124 were operational Air Traffic Controllers. We estimate that RIS removed approximately 13.7% Air Traffic Controllers from rosters around Australia.
Personal leave is a direct result of removing workforce resilience (eg. RIS), traffic returning to pre-Covid levels earlier than anticipated and the constant requirement for overtime.
Civil Air wrote to Airservices to voice our concerns that the RIS would remove experienced ATC staff from rosters across the country. In response, Airservices advised Civil Air that they would not jeopardise safety and also advised that Workforce Deployment “has a plan” for staffing.
On 28 June 2022, Civil Air communicated these concerns to the regulator, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. It is a requirement under the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 for an air traffic service provider to have a sufficient number of suitably qualified Air Traffic Control staff.
Civil Air are in continuous communication with Airservices to address these challenges in order to achieve adequate staffing and reduce the negative impact on our members.
“Unplanned leave”
Recent media reports have quoted Airservices as being critical about the level of ‘unplanned leave’ being taken by ATCs. Airservices management have blamed airline service interruptions on ATCs taking an increased volume of “unplanned leave”, rather than their own lack of workforce planning/resource allocation.
To put this into context, for the next 6 weeks (between 25 February and 31March 2023), there are currently 1,296 shifts presently vacant or already allocated to staff on overtime. This equates to 12% of shifts across Australia being unfilled at the time of roster publication.
This is before any impact of potential unplanned personal leave. Covering these unfilled shifts will require overtime and thus reduce the number of available staff to cover any subsequent personal leave taken. Airservices report an increase to 20.6 shifts of personal leave taken per annum, up from 14 shifts per annum pre-Pandemic. An increase of 6 shifts per annum, in the context of a pandemic that, until recently, required mandatory isolation for positive cases
appears appropriate.
Further, it is relevant to note that ATCs have a regulatory requirement not to work unless medically fit for duty.
Data obtained by Civil Air for the period 1 December 2022 to 31 January 2023 demonstrates a very clear shortfall in the number of required staff, with recorded overtime hours far exceeding the number of hours lost to unplanned
leave.
Over the next 6 weeks, how many shifts are presently vacant or already allocated to staff on overtime?
I'm guessing the Civil Air press release was to counter this "exclusive" article by Lucas Baird on 19 February 2023.
The ‘alarming’ workforce trend causing flight delays
Air traffic controllers are not showing up to work at rates 44 per cent higher than before the pandemic, causing disruptions to travel operations and contributing to delays and cancellations for travellers.
In a memo to select Airservices Australia staff, obtained by The Australian Financial Review, airspace services boss Rodney Sciortino revealed a “sharp climbing trend” of unplanned leave …
AsA backgrounding a journalist and leaking a memo, I thought that was only the embittered ATCs (Firies, Engineers) who engaged in such activities!!