ATCO's and CTC'ers working together!
A great idea and about time. So ok there are a lot of people who work at CTC that could work anywhere. Accountants, solicitors (no, not that type), Human Factors, Facilities management... the list is long. In any organisation these people have a role to play, its just seems that there are a lot of them and they, for the most part, do not understand ATC at all.
Then there are the people that do. I know of a number of ATCO's and ATSA/T&S grades that have a great deal of ATC experience and systems development does not always require copntroller input, in my opinion if its a tool a controller will use then they must be the final hurdle for acceptance (AMAN - throat cleared). Maybe there is some of the old ATSA's have no purpose/lower life form (always makes me laugh that) where ATCO's don't think that any other grade could possibly understand what you do? Bllks!!!
This may be a shock but here goes - I strongly believe the following:
1. Some NATS ATCO's are SIGNIFICANTLY UNDERPAID. I can only give my opinion on Swanwick (TC & AC), Heathrow and Gatwick. The caveat being that they actually spend their working time controlling air traffic, not sitting in an office. (Copenhagen ATCO, 2 sectors = £100k).
2. NATS managers are, for the most part SIGNIFICANTLY OVERPAID. Mainly because many are ex/nonop ATCO's, or that their salaries are (conveniently) based on what ATCO's earn.
3. The fact that the railway children are paid more than paperboys amazes me.
5. I hope and pray that the next CE (Roll on next April) will sack the lot of them so we can be rid of their playground bully management style!
Rant over