Spankedcat
That new system sounds awful, I spent many happy years working the old system and it worked well.
The point is that no matter how much engineers complain, nothing will change however, if assets are not ready on time, questions be asked by Ops and Aircrew, only then will the situation be looked into.
Not suggesting anything along the lines of "work to rule" etc, such childish acts will do nothing to help, but if you are rushing around trying to make this system work, think safety, and stop rushing - no system is worth an accident.
It may go against the grain - as every engineer wants to make the programme, but if morale is as bad as indicated on this thread, it will not be long before it effects your work. As the end user the aircrew will understand your predicament.
I left the RAF last year (fed up with PC tree huggers and poor management), civvy street has a better system, they give you the aircraft and the following days schedule, its up the engineers on the ground to sort it out (within CAA regulations of course).
The "engineers on the ground" in this case being the people who actually service the aircraft, not a OC Eng/SEngO/JEngO with no hands on experience and little idea of time and manpower requirements to rectify a given snag.
That's not a pop at SEngO or JEngO's in general, I have worked with some great ones, but they were the ones who supported the people under them and who did not make wholesale changes to a system that worked well before leaving the mess they created 18 months/2 years later (tweaks=OK, wholesale changes=bad).
In the short term - smile, things will get better. There's little point in being bitter about all this and you guys need to stick together. Common sense will prevail, as in time either the management will change the system or the system will change the management.
Good Luck!