Slurp,
Personally I do not advocate industrial action to the point of striking over pay issues and certainly not the offer made last month. However, I have to disagree with you when you write that the cost of lost salary for a 0.5 -1% increase on the offer would be more than the sum gained. Sure, in the short term a week long day strike would cost (for arguments sake, taking a salary of 50k) about £1000. Now, an increase of just 0.5% consolidated would make that amount up in four years, not allowing for further pay increases/incremental rises thereafter. Assuming said ATCO has about 15 years left at work, the loss of £1000 this year could make (assuming the action were successful) about £5000 or £6000 difference to the end salary.
As I have said - I'm not debating the rights and wrongs of industrial action, nor whether its worth it for the myriad of reasons other than pay, however I am debating the sums!
(these figure are not based on my own circumstances and so there may be a little guesswork here - maths was never my forte, but I'm fairly sure that this makes sense. If not - apologies and I'll crawl back under my stone...)
tug 3,
as I understand it the pay offer can be withdrawn by management if one if the three union BECs fails to recommend the offer to its members. Therefore, irrespective of any results, should NATS management wish, the offer could be withdrawn to all staff making the ATCOs even more unpopular!
- mixed emotions!