What I'm getting from this is if pilots are not conservative enough with speed reduction they're in the sh*t but if they're too conservative the ATCO is. Easy should have a 160 to 5 agreement for the 319s and if that means extra spacing and a reduced capacity so be it but none of us (pilots/ATCOs) should be trying to work around this problem and carrying the can through personal responsibility.
To have an SOP insisting speed reduction is at 5dme at the latest which is quite clearly at odds with ATC procedures encourages a culture of routine rule breaking at odds with the safety culture we strive for.
I didn't realise that a loss of separation caused by the crew not carrying out an instruction you have given them can lead to an ATCO being suspended. If you have issued the instruction surely it is our responsibility to carry it out and any loss of separation that results would be our fault?
After a loss of separation it's fairly standard to be suspended until the radar and RTF recordings are played back and all the forms are filled in which usually takes between 1 and 4 hours.