Fair enuff. I was only passing on second hand info so I stand corrected.
With regards to why there is so much anti NATS feeling on these boards the pay and pension issue is a major part of it.
It is also unfortunate that many NATS controllers fail to see how the economic plight should have any bearing on us as the mighty air traffic controllers that we are. It is true that our terms and conditions are not what they once were and should the pension vote go with the union recommendation then there will be a further degradation. If you compare our situation with that faced by members of the BT pension scheme or any number of other organisations up and down the country who are having their pension benefits totally destroyed then I think that given the current situation we are doing better than most.
I can only assume that a large proportion of my colleagues have never worked outside NATS or its predecessor and I can assure them that having worked !!!!ty jobs for !!!!ty companies for ten years before I joined in 2000 that NATS are a pretty decent company to work for and far better than most. Of course there are issues as with any big organisation but I think that the bottom line is that we as a profession have had it good for so long that the thought of being dragged somewhere near most people's idea of normality is a step too far.
I for one am grateful to work for NATS and not be one of the hundreds of thousands of people up and down the country wondering what they will be doing for work this time next year.
Rant over
