A work colleague (I would say friend but he's an ATSA and I'm an ATCO - the two really shouldn't mix) told me today that the ATSAs in TC have lost a leave column.
What this means in simple terms is that the ATSAs left in TC after the redundancies cannot take their full allocation of leave each year as there are not enough days available to do so.
This has been done with the full knowledge of the ATSA branch of the Union. The way management can get around the issue is simple, if not a little devious and dishonest.
There are enough days in the leave columns for ATSAs to take their annual leave allocation, but not enough for them to be able to take their bank holiday entitlement or TOIL -this does not constitute a breach of Ts and Cs.
ATSA 4s (the 5 that are left) have the discretion to give ATSAs the day off when it is anticipated to be quiet, say a Saturday afternoon shift.
Not really fair on the ATSAs, or the ATSA 4 who has to make the call. Particularly not fair considering how much of a cull there was for TC ATSAs - we now have 3 on a night shift.
The leave will have to be carried over - but when will they be able to take it?!!
This is just one example of how the Unions are 'working Together'. As Standard Noise says, if we do not stand together now, irrespective of NERL or NSL, irrespective of Banding, irrespective of Operational or Office worker, we will get shafted.
This is probably our last chance to show some balls - we flunked the pension issue - more by the lack of turnout to vote than the actual result - we really can't afford to do it again. Does anyone think PB gives any care beyond his next 12 months at NATS?
He is fat dumb and happy with a nicely secured pension - courtesy of some nice golden hellos and goodbyes along the way (I believe he was compensated when he joined NATS to make up for some pension loss in previous employment).
PB has bull$h1tted his way through the pension debacle, claiming it was as much in his interest as a pension fund member as it was in ours, when in reality he has managed to get big payrises into effect before the RPI pension cap took effect.
If you believe the spin that these guys are giving, you deserve to be shafted. It's not just management we have to convince that we are serious, it's also the Union.