Hi Viper (you weren't in "Top Gun" by any chance were you?).
Firstly, it is a fine line that one draws as to whether or not one tells an aircraft an expected push back time, as (a) we often give a time, and then the whole scenario is changed by our friends "up there", (2) often when we advise an aircraft who is "language challenged" of an expectation, then some times they will just go and push anyway, (3) it becomes a balancing act as to workload/time availability as to whether or not it is worthwhile giving expectations from our side of things. That may sound pathetic, but at 8.45 at night when ground is on combine and we are up to our armpits in towing aircraft around (often unnecessarily) at the airlines behest, and there are continuous arrivals arriving at "full bays", and everyone in the World wants a departure push back at the same time from adjacent bays...well it aint fun.
As to the people working in the Radar, let me assure you guys that after a couple of hours working approach or departures when it is busy and especially if there are lot's of weather deviations thrown in to boot, well that aint pretty either. Then there's a bit of a break and you come back in and do it all again. As "Dycey" says, you will get no support or back up from management, both at the intermediate level (shift supervisors) or higher up the chain. Anything that goes pear shaped is "your fault". Sure it can be argued, well "it's a democracy....why don't you walk?" well, not quite so easy. Many of the expats gave up a lot of security to come here, and have made significant family commitments to stay on...for the time being, so interesting times ahead if many more depart. When you consider that my overall package (salary and Accom. Allow) is about 25% lower than what it was 5 years ago.....
As far as your suggestion that we start to take things out on our airline friends from up North, you gotta be joking. The whole scenario here is bending over and doing whatever the people up there say. Some bright spark North of here decided recently that it would be a good idea if they implimented 10mins flow control between aircraft (regardless of level) going up A461 to Europe each night between 11 and 12.30. It just so happens that we have up to 10 departures going that way within about a 60 minute period, so one doesn't have to be Pythagoras to figure out where these departures have to be delayed. Instead of our management saying "stiff, we will send them as per the agreed values", we put up with it, and you guys have to take the consequences.
It's a cultural thing, around here the mainland is No 1 and we unfortunately have to kow tow to a certain extent. I do sympathise with Dragon 69, there are people who will cause a bit of angst, I don't know the answer, well, I do but this is supposed to be polite here, at least as someone else pointed out on this thread, there is some fairly open discussion taking place.