Therin lies a major problem - an apathetic union membership...
It's not Prospect's fault if the membership don't vote!
Sorry, but I would dispute these statements. This ENTIRE mess in which we find ourselves is Prospect's fault. There are people (no names, no packdrill) in the union who are far too high up the greasy pole of NATS management, which has resulted in people being poorly advised on the two recent ballots on pensions and pay. Prospect's recommendation, if you remember, was for the membership to vote Yes in each case. This despite the high probability of the company making well over £100 million in profits for the second year running, as proved to be the case. AND, having betrayed us on pensions, they allowed the pay ballot to be completed a matter of days before the company announced its record results - possibly the worst decision in the history of industrial relations.
Apathy in itself will not kill a ballot one way or the other - it is the people who have been poorly advised to vote Yes that have put us in this position, make no mistake. Given the massive difference of opinion that divided the workforce, it's only surprising that more people didn't abstain.
The only way my faith in the union will be restored is for the current team to be removed, be it by vote of no confidence or some other means. They have proven themselves to be management apologists twice and I would not trust them to act in our best interests in any negotiations in the future.
LTP