Well anyway .......
I think its more than fair to say that goodworkers point is a reality. It was always the case that only a certain percentage of controllers (a minority percentage) were open to working on their days off. It is evidently clear that after they have pissed off and alienated all their controlling staff that anyone who was sitting on the fence and waiting for the new proposals has already made up their mind that 1) my days off are really precious 2) the last thing they feel like doing is doing a favour for the managemnet types who slandered them only a few weeks before.
As already said the IAA would do well to heed this sentiment when they are formulating their proposals for tuesday. They will really have to come up with some attractive and interesting ideas to get us back on side. I hope they do - to be honest.
Of course the idea that IAA staff to such an extent so that overtime or call-ins are NEVER needed is just poppycock. Unless you quantify the actual staff needed and then double it (maybe more!) then there will always be a requirement to have overtime and call-ins.
The issue as WE ALL KNOW is that up to now the number of staff needed is no where near the amount of staff available. Hence the need for excessive amounts of overtime. Hence also the lack of leave and other basic entitlements. Hence also the feeling of getting hammered whenever you sit in. This is not going to change and will even get ALOT worse before 2009/2010 when the next SCP class come on stream. So the solution is simple- put in place a new scheme thats acceptable to staff-maybe even two schemes. In the meantime a concerted recruitment drive is started icluding both direct entries and SCP classes.
Yours as ever
OCK1F