BDiNOU
I think we are talking at cross purposes here - NATS does not grade ATCOs as such (unless you are destined to be a hallowed Heathrow God). However there are ATCOs out there who for whatever reason are unable to validate at one unit and end up working at a quieter and easier unit. I am talking about ability here, not vagaries in the training system, which is far from perfect.
These ATCOs are not, by their inability to work at more complex/busy units, fully mobile. Just the same as NATS ATCOs with blue licences are not fully mobile.
I mentioned it merely to make a point - not all NATS ATCOS can do all the ATCO jobs in their discipline.
I would not expect NATS to address any anomolies in the licensing issue before being awarded a contract - it does not make sense as a business. However, banding and pay scales within NATS are based solely on complexity and levels of traffic - they have nothing to do with licensing issues.
It's a bit of a moot issue anyways, as Gib controllers have yellow perils. However it's to do with principle and ethics, something senior NATS management seemed to have lost along the way.
NATS management have a transparent policy of trying to divide and then conquer it's workforce - for example the £250 bung given to people who did not qualify for HTD if they voted to bin it for those who did qualify, not to mention the upcoming pensions issue.
There is enough division within the company caused by the airports/centres issue and who makes what profit etc etc. We do not need there to be further issues with foreign contracts.
The only possible way around it would be to make a sub division of NATS to deal with foreign contracts and run it as a separate business and to make sure that everyone was aware of this... otherwise as a fully mobile grade, ATCOs are within their rights to request a transfer from say Luton to Gibraltar (tho getting it would be another thing) and all ATCOs/ATSAs/ATCEs would rightfully expect to be on the same set of company pay scales (with the banding).