My understanding is that SRG/CAA require 12 months, but NATS as a company policy require 24. Therefore if NATS have people training in under 24 months, but greater than 12, they're breaking nobody's rules but their own.
Arkady, I hear what you say about your training burden, but I think you'll find that other units have a similarly large trainee to OJTI ratio, so therefore I'm glad that a precedent of sub 24 months experience has been set (if this actually is the case) and look forward to this, and the spine point being rolled out across NATS as a whole. Fairness does, to a certain degree, come in to it!
edited to reveal that colon O becomes a big smiley face!