Thank you both Nog and 1261. You both illustrate the point quite nicely.
Hmmmmm. A chip on my shoulder? Lets see I accept a pay deal which our employer demonstrably, cannot afford. I see what others have had to face and don't think it right. I don't like how others with less muscle get picked on for the benefit of management. OK Nog you gotta be right. After all I am not one of the illustrious exalted working in a fabulous edifice. Nice fish pond! I am not the one who is disgusted that everyone does not want to rush out the door shouting 'death to all managers'. Sorry, was that your chip or mine?
The some guys n' gals seem to think that the moment anyone questions their view of the world that its Area Bashing. Why is it some of you have no idea what goes on anywhere else? Or if you know, you could not give a toss. The bigger units within Airports have taken a big jolt over the past few years, and as for the small ones; well, they have taken a right kicking! When you warn the others what might happen to them, they think its personal and we all hate area.
NOT SO.
I am not naive enough to think that NATS and the government would spend seriously large sums of money on a nice new ATC toy without expectation of pay back in the form of higher through put and lower cost. They thought they would do this by (amongst other things) getting rid of assistants. Crash and burn! They thought they could handle much higher traffic levels with the same (or less) ATCO's. Crash and burn! They thought they had enough of everything, including income which was guaranteed. Crash and burn! Someone has to pay the bills and Airports is well squeezed.
I'm not surprised that there is a sharp intake of breath when I suggest, "it will happen to you". It's what happens when you take your head out of the sand for the first time.
I'm not surprised you want to go back to working 1 hour on and 1 off. I'd like to go back to gash days off and 4 to 5 hour Day shifts. I'd like to go back to a time when I could book leave just about when ever I wanted it because staff levels allowed it. I'd like to only work 3/4 of only one night shift, plus a shed load of other working practices that I can only dream of and never ever had a sniff of.
I suspect this is a common view held by many ATCO's. LATCC had all sorts of good things going for it that other units never had, but I also think you earned it. However, the move to NERC was always going to be the opportunity to take up much of this 'slack'. Management signalled this many times in the past. Many of your colleagues knew it was coming Nog, and September 11 just accelerated this process.
Where you screwed up was using the pay vote to demonstrate your frustration and expecting the rest of us to be 100% behind you. It aint going to work. Nor should it. If you want to take management to task by being honest and up front you would probably get a lot of support from elsewhere. But using pay as a vehicle was doomed. And it's really ludicrous to think that it would never happen had the regime stayed the same. Maybe you are correct, and I am wrong, but that shinny toy still has to be paid for, in more ways than one. Shame it does not work properly!
There is a view that LATTC and Swanick ATCO's are only interested in Gold. Perish that thought! When I hear talk of compulsory postings to make up the numbers and reducing pay levels at some units because they are so worthless, I laugh, and I am not the only one. Its a measure of how far some of you are disconnected. When you accept this, there is a chance we can get together and take on management and make them pay. They've had the company cars, inflated salaries and much better T & C on the back of the rest of us for far too long. There would be something in it for us as well as you. But while you persist in ignoring what has happened to the rest of us and claim a God Given Right to greatness, you will find support outside very hard to come by. Sympathy: maybe. Support? Don't be daft! Proof: a 2 to 1 acceptance.
The stunned horror of some of the correspondents to these forums that anyone could possibly disagree with the God Given Right principle, says it all.
Are you so hard done buy? I can name 5 Airports that have depended on overtime for may years to keep running. Are they going to get £500 a shift for future overtime? Definitely not! Yet suddenly there is a crisis en-route and lookey here! Why are you surprised when we then reject the road to a strike? So you can have even more, more, more, at our expense? Go on Nog, I've put the toys back in to your wonderful pram, and now it's 'thrown time' again.
Just don't expect a reply, unless you wish to be constructive.
Findo: Yes a fair point, but is this all it appears? I think not.
First the ERG formula restricts NATS to RPI -2 for a fixed period (I think 5 years but I may be wrong) Within this period if NATS makes more money then there is no further adjustment) Should the RPI -2 be too easy to make, then you would expect the following formula to be tighter still. So in a weird way, if NATS make too much money the will be glad to give some more to us so the books don't look to good!
Second, at a pre PPI staff brief an LAG rep said, quote, "even with the RPI formula we should have no difficulty making a shed load of money, so there's nothing to worry about!" Sept. 11th has obviously delayed this happy state of affairs. I accept that the whole idea depends upon Swanwick being able to deliver the traffic levels promised by management. I have my doubts they can deliver the required levels within a 1 or 2 year time scale and if they cannot do so we are all in serious trouble.
Finally, If you are correct then we all have a very bleak future to look forward to with regards to pay. The way the company caved in to the sectional pay claim suggests otherwise. But I accept I could be well wide of the mark. And we have all heard 'Jam tomorrow' many times before.
As for the governmet why listen now? This is a continued embarasment they want rid off. And my MP helped set this all up, so do you think he is going to admit being wrong? Do me a favour.