Come December21 (expiration of the EBA) ASA are going to be in even more trouble staffing wise. Controllers have been working rosters outside of Principles of Rostering (PORs) under Facilitative Arrangements (FAs).
These FAs have allowed ASA to cover rosters with less staff and controllers to work longer shifts to get more time off. Personally, I don't see the benefits. We have access to more days off, but longer term we are more fatigued. ASA (TFN) have become dependent on them in their drive for cost cutting, and it has masked the lack of workforce planning.
On December 21, these FAs expire. ASA have struggled to adequately staff with these FAs and have no idea how to fill the rosters without them. My concern is that ASA will allow the situation to develop where they will have to roster airspace closures with all the angst that will engender.
All the unfulfillable promises that the bureaucrats have promised the industry will now be blamed on the controllers. They will bundle up all the problems that mismanagement has caused, SDE, lack of workforce planning, ageing demographic, non delivery of RNPs, UPRs etc etc, and lay them at the feet of the controllers.
I am led to understand that TFN has some in principle agreement to take a new ATS system that Thales is building for the Singaporeans, and build a single 'super' centre somewhere? Canberra?2012?
The result being that the turmoil that will envelope Australia come Dec21 will be blamed not on the lack of long-term planning, and short term bonus driven management but on the controllers who have been carrying the system for years.
TFN and co. will then be able to leap into the fray and declare that, yet again, "That we have a plan".This to appease the minister and industry, and it is , yet again, someone elses (controllers)fault.
This is the type of spin and politicking that TFN and co. get paid the big bucks to pull. The provision of a properly resourced Air Navigation Service Provider with long term planning should be somewhere on the list. Unfortunately it seems to be behind bonuses and personal corporate survival.
Time will tell.
Last edited by max1; 23rd Sep 2008 at 02:10.