eyeinthesky -
NATS primary business is safety, if an ATCO thinks he or she cannot maintain proficiency when they near retirement, how do we sort it out?
Here's a question... If they have 6 years to retirement, what do you propose happens with their pension if they take a salary cut to fill an office job? Should their pension then be reduced because their average salary in their final years has decreased?
Or should we use these ATCOs with numerous years valuable experience carrying out NATS primary function in training roles/ops jobs that require that type of experience, thus allowing them to keep their wages and freeing up some other, younger ATCOs to return to the OPs room?
Or do you propose we be dishonest about it and stick them on the quietest sector in the room and carry them?
It's not a case of having it both ways - unless you look at it simplistically. It's a case of using resources efficiently. If an ATCO has to withdraw from the Ops room, then we can look at other ATCO grade jobs (real ATCO grade jobs, not some of the made up ones we have kicking around) that would be suitable.
If that means swapping places with a younger ATCO who has gone to do a years work in Ops or the training department, then so be it.
The amount of people we are talking about is minimal - there are essential jobs out there that actually need to be filled by people who have controlled.
Working in the Ops room is not the same as working in a nice benign office environment! Safety is paramount.