The latest offering from iaa website
http://www.iaa.ie/corp_fin/show_news.asp?ID=447
10 February 2008: The Irish Aviation Authority was advised earlier today through a media statement by the IMPACT trade union that Air Traffic Controllers had balloted for industrial action, up to and including strike action. Notice of this action, or indeed the nature of any action, has not yet been served on the Authority.
The Authority is disappointed by IMPACT’s communication through a media statement. Any action is in breach of the current National Agreement, Towards 2016, a Continuity of Service Agreement, signed by IMPACT and the Irish Aviation Authority, and national industrial relations procedures. Disruptive action is continuing notwithstanding an ongoing process in the Labour Relations Commission to resolve the various issues at the heart of this dispute.
The Irish Aviation Authority responds to today’s IMPACT statement as follows.
- The Authority is satisfied, that through custom and practice, overtime arrangements applying to Air Traffic Controllers form part of their conditions of service. Of course it would be better if overtime was not necessary. However, in any operation requiring cover over 24 hours, extra attendance will feature as a means of addressing short notice absences such as sickness. Many Air Traffic Service Providers, including the National Air Traffic Services in the UK, have in place schemes of additional attendance to augment operational service delivery. The current overtime arrangements were introduced as part of an overall agreement reached with Controllers under Clause 2 (iii) of Partnership 2000 for which they received a 17% pay rise.
- There is not a shortage of Air Traffic Controllers in the Irish Aviation Authority. In fact, some 15 Controllers retired from the Authority under a Voluntary Early Retirement Scheme in 2003/2004 without IMPACT objection. Staffing levels are matched to the level of air traffic at any given time and are applied in accordance with international standards.
- IMPACT agrees that traffic demand is the prime determinant in the deployment of staff resources and it is a matter for management to decide on restrictions to apply whenever necessary. It is common practice among all Air Traffic Service Providers to apply traffic restrictions where demand exceeds the capacity of the system. Air Traffic Controllers are very well protected from overload through a defined workload threshold.
- The Authority acknowledges that as part of an agreed flexible arrangement voluntary overtime is used to cover absences primarily caused by sick leave. The Authority rejects the IMPACT statement that the air traffic control system has become over dependent on rest day attendance. To put this in context total overtime attendance by Air Traffic Controllers in 2007 represented less than 2% of contracted hours and the average overtime attendance was less than one hour per Controller per week.
- While the current system of extra attendance is equitable with overtime available to all Controllers, both sides are currently considering an alternative method of extra attendance to address short notice absences.
- The Irish Aviation Authority advertised for Student Air Traffic Controllers in August 2007 and 36 Students will commence training next month and the first of these will be fully operational mid 2009. This recruitment was planned to meet forecasted traffic growth and expected retirements well in advance of the current embargo on overtime which commenced in January 2008.
- While some Air Traffic Controllers have worked overtime the reality is that notwithstanding IMPACT commitments Controllers have refused to cover sick leave absences and absences caused by the release of ATC Branch members to attend LRC discussions.
Air Traffic Controllers have benefited from all four phases of T-2016 and in addition to the 10% paid under that agreement have also, through a Labour Court process completed in December 2007, secured a Recommendation of an additional 5% pay increase backdated to 1 January 2006 to cover all change up to the end of 2008. No staffing issues arose prior to the announcement of the Labour Court award, even during busy months of July/August and Christmas, where maximum staff would be on leave
The Authority regrets the continuous inconvenience to the travelling public, but must advise that having regard to the current action restrictions to traffic and consequential delays over the coming days may be inevitable.
ENDS
For further information contact:
Corporate Communications Manager
Irish Aviation Authority
Tel: