I can't tell you how amusing I find all this.........
Having had the good fortune to escape NATS sinking ship in December for a better life in Canada.
In all seriousness I find it terribly sad that this pay offer has turned units against each other, and as a former TC controller I am glad to see my old friends have finally got some recognition for the marvellous job they do, but equally I find it sad that it appears to be at the detriment of other units.
I feel truly sorry for my ex-collegues at MACC who seem to have been royally screwed (on top of the SCACC move I guess morale is not great there at the moment !).
How refreshing it is in Canada, where all the controllers get the same base salary and then get a top up based on how busy the unit is. I believe it is based purely on traffic numbers so no need for complex formulas, and everyone knows the score before they join............don't like it, take a hike !
It just doesn't seem to be an issue here, the busiest units get paid more.
It seems funny being in an ACC where people are happy, more relaxed and enjoying their job after so many years in NATS.
Of course it's not perfect but my overall impressions are it's a lot better than being stuck in NATS graveyard, and this whole pay deal has re-affirmed my belief even more that I did the right thing by getting out.
I hope this mess all gets sorted out, I hate to see my former friends and collegues getting messed about (again), and I hope intra-unit relations can recover.
Surely someone in the Union needs to take a look at how this all happened, and ensure it never happens again..........are we not all supposed to be part of the same team?
My, how management must be loving this !