Captain Midnight you are correct. Previously one controller did the whole shift with someone listening out on toilet/smoke breaks.
Then management at ML center decided (correctly) that the right fatigue management process was to double staff night shift so staff could nap and a business case was written to justify this. It was initially resisted by controllers (who wants to work twice as many doggo's?) but after coming into practice has been nearly universally embraced.
Unfortunately BN center didn't follow suit. So now management says we're short staffed and can't justify this (how dare the lazy bludgers get paid to sleep, they can do that at home with their wives every other night), previously we did single person, they still do everywhere else, it must be safe.
Unfortunately the CA specifies a minimum 20 min break per shift, previously a blind eye was turned to this and breaks were managed on a "mate, can you listen out while I take a leak" basis. Maybe 3-4 minutes, definately not 20. Hence we now have unrated people providing breaks on doggos.
Whether you get rated controllers or not, rest assured by 5 am they will be onto about their 12th or 13th hour since clocking on at 6 the previous morning and be knackered with no sleep in previous 6+ hours.
What could possibly go wrong?