Gents.
Lets get some perspective here. I'm not talking about ATCO's that have done their time, are towards the end of their career etc etc.... they should be respected and of course if they cannot remain competent then they should be offered something where they can apply all that experience..... and on the same pay too.
I am talking about the few that should not have had a licence in the first place, struggle to keep it and run to an office at the first chance for a newly fabricated job title that translates into nothing really. The ones that sit in front of the console and cause absolute carnage each and every time....are so scared of what they do they end up causing un-necessary delays, excessive extra track miles and are a nightmare to work with. If the LCE scheme was as great as they harp on about then this wouldnt happen, but thats another can of worms.
There are a few that I can think of here at SWANWICK, one in particular that couldnt re validate at TC and now is somewhere raking in an ATCO top of the scale salary, a right tidy sum for someone in charge of locker allocation...... couldnt even do that right.
I'm not against the older ATCO who has done the time at all, they deserve the upmost respect. Nor anyone who looses their medical.
If I were to loose my licence due to '!!!!ness' and ended up at CTC doing an admin role, I would fully expect to get a pay cut for the job that I am doing. Why should I get paid as an ATCO if I cant do the job?