To gr nav- yes they have called plenty of people to do call ins and overtime but obviously people aren't interested. May be with the strength of feeling you have, they are afraid to call you
(only joking!)
The unfortunate upshot of all this is that the company has now fully exhausted any goodwill that was there. This unfortunately has been developing over time and has reached its natural logical conclusion.
I know that both the iaa and the press monitor forums like this so i am choosing my words carefully from here on in.
The press releases by the iaa are a disgrace. It is however fully understandable that press releases like this will be issued by the very people who have caused the situation in order to detract attention from their own incompetence and to lay the blame at the feet of others. The two statemnets from the 6th and 7th of Feb have left a very sour taste in the mouths of controllers. Considering that there is still a process going on in the background between management and the union, these statements and press releases serve no purpose other than to inflame the situation and harden opinions.
If the iaa must issue press statements then surely the comms manager should earn her salary and reign in/counsel the management hotheads and advise them that the smart course is to say as little as possible to the press. Surely she has learnt her lesson with regards the press considering the last time where she stated "you do not have to be particulary bright to be an air traffic controller" live on national prime time radio for which she had to apologise atc staff .
If any press are interested ,the real reason that dublin and shannon towers have been closing of late is that there is not enough staff to operate and crew the positions safely.
In the shannon example there was only one controller rostered (by management) in the tower between 7pm and 9pm. The minimum safe crew is 2. The only course of action open is to close the tower as it cannot be operated safely by one controller due workload and fatigue issues. The shortfall is purely due to shortage of staff. Yet of course the iaa blame the staff for their mismanagement.Go figure. How is that industrial action?
I also fail to see how declining OPTIONAL overtime and call ins because it doesnt suit you is wildcat industrial action????? It is the staff who are highlighting the fact that in ireland there is a shortfall of atc staff and this has safety consequences-thankfully nothing has happened yet.
The IAA is a very financially well off company. It has turnover of 134 million, assets of 178 million and profits of 13 to 16 million euro every year. This is achieved while being the cheapest ATC service provider in europe. The IAA charges airlines roughly 25 to 30% of what NATS in the UK charges. It has neglible borrowings and one of the newest ( note i didn't say best!) ATC systems in europe.Don't get me wrong-being financially viable is something to be proud of and encouraged.
Air traffic levels worlwide have increased greatly but the increase in Ireland has been spectacular. Between 2005 and 2006 air traffic increased 36.7% . This was done with about 10% less ATC staff. Being lean and mean has its place but in a safety critical operation like ATC there is only so far you can push this business model.
Today in Shannon the complex system of computers and radar screens failed completely during peak lunch time traffic and again in the afternoon. All available controllers responded to the call for help in what is an emergency situation. The controllers dealt with this in a very cool-headed and professional way
(I believe that thanks must go out also to the london,scottish and brest controllers too) This was one of the days where the phrase "above and beyond the call of duty" spring to mind like it did after 9/11 and the way the IAA controllers dealt with the situation that day too.
If the staffing levels get any worse this level of care cannot be guaranteed.
Like a lot of things in the aviation world this has its genesis in other , smaller matters that now have rolled into one bigger problem.
Things like having to fight to get a fatigue break after two hours of constant controlling. It got so bad that controllers had to start submitting safety reports in order to get a fatigue break otherwise they would be left there controlling for 4+ hours. As we all know fatigue is one of the worst dangers in the aviation world.
A huge amount of work has been done by the staff on a goodwill basis. New airpace , new procedures, new equipment , longer hours with more traffic have all been delivered on the basis that the staff would be rewarded in the future. Now that the work is done, management seem to think that a few percent will do. This is a pity as it erodes more goodwill and i dont think the staff will be inclined to deliver exceptional change items on 'credit' going into the future.
But in all conflicts and disagreements there must be a resolution. Nobody likes being in these situations. Hopefully the process that is going on in the background will resolve the difficulties. Hopefully the IAA will cease slandering its own staff in the press. I think IMPACT the union have shown graet restraint and indeed professional business mannner by not conducting its business in the press. I am also sure that if necessary IMPACT will issue a statement refuting the slanderous allegations made by the IAA management.
I will finish by re-iterating that the staff are not engineering any problems, only trying to resolve a rapidly approaching critical staffing crisis caused by no planning for the future, mismanagement, no investment in staff, and penny pinching to keep costs way below industry norms.
And when is declining OPTIONAL overtime industrial action??
Yours as ever
OCK1F