EGLYNT
the annual increments that mean that NATS staff costs rise year on year regardless of pay settlements
ermmm.... don't people retire ? Some popping off the top and saving top-of-the-scale wages, and then being replaced by entrants at the bottom ?
Are increments for all 5500 staff, or just ATCOs, ATSAs and ATCEs ?
EGLYNT
If income falls there are only two choices reduce costs or put up prices.
Our charges to the airlines are in euros and I understand they have been reduced by about 30% already over the last year due to the pounds deflation.
EGLYNT
The only safe strategy is to fight for every post whoever fills it and whatever you may think about their abilities. I hope that is what the union will do.
you may find yourself in one of those posts that somebody thinks isn't important
Whilst I applaud the sentiment, a $hitload of operational staff are feeling exactly that way at the moment. Do YOU feel valued by management ? Do YOU feel that they think YOU or your job is important ? I don't. I'm made to feel as if I'm an expensive overhead, not a dedicated and trusted professional. I'm expected to work with second-rate equipment, $hite radios, in a freezing ops room, with continually added and amended Operational Instructions, layer upon layer of new procedures (with minimal training), while all the time worrying about the uncertainty of my pension and the monkeys who are screwing every last ounce out of this once fine company.
So, NO, I don't believe that means we should expend energy on retaining nonsense jobs and supporting an out of control paperwork bureaucracy.
Look around at the countless layers of management at your unit - how many would $hit themselves if asked to plug in and try and validate ? How many of them couldn't wait to get out of the ops room, or couldn't validate ? How many are puffed up with their own importance and job titles ? How many are contemptuous of operational staff who object ?
And I've not even mentioned CTC
How many man hours go into producing website upon website with interminable guff and TLAs about 'vision', 'projects', 'purchase', 'customer', 'opportunities' etc..etc... I could go on and on. How many man hours go into 'Pulse' and how much does all that pish cost ? Does it contribute one iota to making my job as an ATCO any easier ? Does it ####.
How come the huge majority of comments on Natsnet are from CTC - surely they should be so busy creating 'opportunities' for the rest of us they shouldn't have time to fart on about bloody photos and bloody award ceremonies. BTW Hope all you poor dears made it in through the huge snowdrifts
Someone please remind me. What is the raison d'etre of NATS ? Some job creation for trendy, stripey middle management? or to stop aeroplanes hitting each other ?
Do you know something - I'm tired of it. I'm tired of seeing "sicknotes" rewarded with promotions. I'm tired of seeing safety issues swept under the carpet because they cost too much. I'm tired of seeing $hite controllers promoted beyond their ability and then watch them swan around as if they're ####ing experts in keeping aeroplanes apart. I'm tired of continually having to adjust to the ever changing rulebook to cover somebody elses ar$e.
After only 20 years, I'm ready to chuck in the job I love.