NATS employees worked for the government prior to privatisation
Between 1972 and 1996,
NATS staff were
CAA (a public corporation) employees There was a gradual transfer of staff between Civil Service between 1972 and 1974 - some non-specialists refused the move and transferred out of the aviation departments back to the general Civil Service. There was subsequently a low level of exchange of generally high-level staff between the Authority and the Civil Service. Jobs were advertised in the general and specialist press (such as
Flight magazine) and formal applications had to be made. Employment contracts were transferred to NATS when it became a subsidiary of the CAA in 1996. Job applications were then made to the Personnel Department (before the days of Humane Resources) of NATS, a situation which did not change with the transfer of NATS to the Department against Transport or the Public Private Pratnership.