Sorry to sound like Dick Smith but I am led to believe that ASA used to use a retirement age of 50 (not that most went)to forward plan on staffing, it was noted that people were staying on longer and so lately they began using 55 This looked better on the books, less staff = less wages. Management looked clever as wages went down and traffic went up and up. Doing more with less.
Controllers at the workface and Civilair could see a looming crisis years ago.Management got LARGE bonuses and referred to their infallible model to avoid doing anything . Management, at the level that saw what was happening, were loath to rock the boat, due to the shoot the messenger mentality at ASA.
Upper management believe they have controllers in 'golden' handcuffs and that we,like them, are only motivated by money. They haven't looked around to see that in real wage terms we have been going backwards for ten years.
So then what happened?
Several factors including the growth of the stockmarket, astute investing, the age profiles, and benefits of the CSS super scheme put older controllers in the position of accessing early retirement. Also due to the reduction of real wages , younger controllers have started to leave.
Finally, long-term disenchantment with TFN and his cronies lining their own pockets whilst crying poor for anyone else, combined with the utter waste and inefficiencies associated with the latest wonder restructure (SDE) , crap rosters,constant calls at home to do O/T to prop up a management induced staffing crisis, the AWA/ALM debacle(people with 1 -2 years experience becoming supervisors as long as they signed AWA's), and the huge growth in O/S money and people are walking out the door.
There is a world wide shortage of controllers. That is why we are interested in the next EBA, if there is isn't a big improvement many can just walk out the door and work somewhere else.
What is happening now, IS NOT some quasi industrial action, controllers can not physically prop up the lack of staffing anymore( too few controllers) . It is that bad.
Management , TFN and K Mc, have finally faced the truth and are asking for our help in keeping the airspace open. This is something we have already been doing for years whilst asking them to increase staffing. They have accused us, et al Civilair, for years of having some industrial agenda in our complaints to increasing staffing. You reap what you sow.