Just seems very scary that this meeting, which again the union's great communication skills, dont actually specify what these "Areas" of concern are. Specifically mentions NSL, and not just NATS as a whole.
Is this possibly linked to the shambles that is the manchester airport contract, in that they have discovered just how much money is being waisted there? ATCO's in offices on ATCO1 pay, 3 Managers per watch. For a unit that as recorded movements of less than 300 some days. They've realised how much money is being waisted there, and have now turned their eyes to other NSL contracts that are struggling and having pressure put on them by the airport operators to cut costs.
Perhaps they are looking at a regrading of the bands again, or maybe a seperate pay deal for NSL units. Or just plain simply selling it off, or some of it.
Personally I think we deserve a pay rise, but as any pay rise is a percentage one, and a percentage of more is more, there is some real issues with the banding system within NSL. A DWM at a atco 3 unit with 20 years service, 2 or 3 ratings(ratings not just validations) earns less than a Luton/stansted approach controller with 8 years service who does nothing but control. Im sorry but I cant see the justification that EGCC have ATCO1 watchmanagers that dont have to plug in very often, yet then have a DWM on ATCO1 Substitution pay, and a SCOD on ATCO1 Substitution pay, then a whole bunch of ATCO1/2 sitting in office doing work the 3 managers could do on each watch. An ATSA3/4 per watch to manage the assistants, all in a unit that as a fairly simple approach in sense of complexity, ok a fairly complex ground, and has had a massive downturn in traffic, with some days not even shifting 300 movements. and also for the last however many years, have been losing millions a year, undoing any good the rest of NSL do.
So when it comes to looking at pay rises if there one pot of money to give them out in, then if you have to give more to some than others, then that means there going to be less to give in general, So some of the dross needs to go, the bands need to be fair, the scales for WM, DWM, LCE's needs to reflect the work they do and not just the Unit its at. Then when you come along to negotiate payrises what actually comes out is fairer. Rather than those that are losing us money actually getting a better share of it!
In a selfish world we should all be bumped upto the EGCC terms, but in a real world, yes we deserve a pay rise, yes I'd vote yes to industrial action on a pay freeze, yes I'd vote yes to Industrial action, if they tried to apply unfair Banding, but If they choose to bump EGCC to come in line with the rest of the NSL units im sorry for once i'd be inclined to agree with management.