Business Day (Johannesburg)
15 April 2008
Julius Baumann
Johannesburg
THE exodus of senior staff from Air Traffic & Navigation Services (ATNS) continues, with the CEO Wrenelle Stander the latest to leave the company.
ATNS is responsible for controlling all air traffic in and out of SA, and at most big airports in the country.
Earlier this month the board of ATNS said that Stander had chosen not to renew her three-year contract.
Stander said yesterday that she would join Sasol. "I have left ATNS for my own personal reasons which have nothing to do with the company," she said.
Peter Marais has been appointed acting CEO.
Stander's resignation comes as Solidarity, the union representing a majority of staff at ATNS, warns that the company could be hit by a further wave of resignations if the parties are not able to settle their pay dispute.
ATNS and Solidarity have agreed to arbitration after pay negotiations collapsed last month. ATNS is offering 9% while Solidarity wants 13%.
Solidarity's Zirk Gouws said yesterday that if a favourable outcome was not reached, many more air traffic controllers were likely to leave. "There is a global shortage of controllers and Middle Eastern companies are paying top dollar for these skills. If our members are not happy, they may well be tempted by these offers."
In recent years ATNS has continued to lose senior staff, many taking up lucrative positions in the Middle East and Australia. Marais said yesterday that the company was still losing 20-25 air traffic controllers a year. "We simply cannot compete with what they are being offered in the Middle East."
At the highest level, these companies are offering principal air traffic controllers $15000- $20000 a month, plus benefits.
ATNS employs 450 controllers and already has 40-50 vacancies.
In a bid to retain key skills, ATNS has launched a retention programme where senior staff are offered enticing four-year contracts to stay.
ATNS also aims to attract new recruits through the ATNS Training Academy. In March, several new air traffic controllers graduated from the academy and more are to graduate in June. But Marais says the training programme will not alleviate ATNS's immediate shortage as it takes a graduate three to five years to qualify as a principal air traffic controller. He insists that the skills shortage has had no effect on safety.