To clarify , While i have no interest in dissing the management of the iAA it may appear thats all i do! I would like to point out that i was only outlining the background to why the controllers company wide ,are so worried about the situation and upset at how their own company views them.
At the end of the day both sides have to work together but in all things give and take it required. It is the firm view of staff that all they have done and are asked to do is give ,give, give. Hopefully this will change. From what i understand of the situation so far the staff are trying to offer management solutions to their problems but they won't even concide there is a problem.
In the absence of any progress ,in the absence of any sign that management are going to engage and in the presence of sustained and slanderous attacks , the controlleers have been left with no choice especially when it comes to their legitamate and proven concerns about the lack of staff and other issues.
Skyhawk to answer your second question : My advice would be to still go ahead and join. You are needed ,badly needed , so by me saying don't join would be counter productive to actually solving the problem of low staff. Obviously there are IR issues at the moment and they may very well get a lot worse before they get better. Obviously morale is at the lowest i can ever remember ..and as we face into the hectic spring and summer months people are really ,really worried and concerned about getting a hammering. The prospect of not getting any leave due to the chronic lack of staff is also making people worried. But like i keep saying management will have to engage and act at some stage and then hopefully things will improve and we can become one big happy family again
To answer your first question : Yes it is most definitely time for Impact and Michael Landers (assistant general secretary in charge of aviation ) in particular to stand up to the plate and be counted. If union representation is to count for anything they must support their members and back them to the full. If not then the entire concept of a union in ireland is dead and gone. I haven't seen any public utterance from Impact defending their members . While i have applauded their restraint thus far i must now say the time has come for Impact to publicly refute the IAA slander. Why else are we paying a hefty union subscription every year. Why are WE paying Michael Landers salary if he then doesn't do his job by listening ,supporting and backing Impact members. If Impact run away because they dont have the ba
lls to stick their head above the parapet then the staff will just continue on by themselves. We are stiil represented by IATCA , we have a valid mandate for industrial action up to and including strike action so that will happen if the need arises.
I have expressed my view that i sincerely hope we dont have a full stoppage strike but if that is what it takes then so be it. Each person has to stand up , take the hits and be assured that they are doing the right thing especially in matters of safety.
Why are Impact being so quiet? Well it doesn't take a genius to to make the link between Mr. Eamonn Brennan (cheif exec of the IAA) and Mr.Seamus Brennan (senior government minister) -yes they are brothers. Now the cheif exec knows that there is a major storm brewing ahead and if that storm arrives its going to make him look really really bad. So over dinner one night he has a little word with his brother, the goverment minister about his problem and this storm thats approaching. Like all Fianna Fail ministers ,Seamus Brennan says "sure leave it with me ,I'll have a word with a few people"
As is well known the top tier of the unions in Ireland and the top tier of government are joined at the hip. So political interference and pressure start to be applied. Serious pressure-the type that has people quaking in their boots and worried about their livelyhoods.
Now of course this scenario never happened
and i'm not for one second insinuating or alleging that this took place-but if one was looking for a possible reason why impact have gone so quiet and are apparently on the verge of abandoning thier own members then this might be a possible candidate.
Again i express my wish that this can be sorted out but if there continues to be no progress at all then the storm is coming-Impact or no Impact.
Yours as ever OCK1F