Niteflite01 and 160 both make very valid points on this thread and on the thread on the Pilot's board.
If NATS ATCOs are going to sit back and let this management walkover continue, then you'll get all you deserve.
Has anyone operational in the UK noticed a difference in traffic figures ?
Quick, check the weekly figures before they get manipulated again to look like a downturn.
If we let ourselves get drawn in by all this spin, what hope can we possibly have when it comes to pay negotiations ?
Please don't tell me we all need to tighten our belts; we've been doing that every year our pay has been tied to the RPI.
It's barefaced dishonesty on behalf of management to tell us there has already been a marked drop in traffic levels.
I also heard an interesting point today with regard to the figures our management are basing their estimates on. They are using the Boeing model that traffic will reduce by 25% and will not recover for 3 years.
What management are not telling you is that the Boeing calculations include US DOMESTIC flight movements which really are showing a massive slump in loads and which will ultimately lead to a significant reduction in movements.
These movements have no impact whatsoever on the amount of traffic NATS staff will be moving this winter, next year, or ever.
It is downright dishonest of them to try and hoodwink us with misleading and false figures plucked from the Pessimist Tree to suit their own ends.
So what's it to be chaps ?? Still going to sit on that powder ??
For the sake of our profession, don't let the ill fortunes of another sector of the industry bring us to our knees also.
I implore you to make your views totally clear to your union reps and reaffirm that this time you aren't prepared to accept any compromise based on manipulated and edited statistics.
Regards
Stoney