ASG: No need for all the vitriol!
I was very careful in my post NOT to use the arguments you suggest such as: ' vote yes so you can have your extra little payments now?'. Or: 'You've got what you want now sod everyone else.'
My sympathies lie with you, because I feel you have been royally stitched up by your union, and I'm not overly impressed by what they've done for us either. I voted NO in the latest round, but have to abide by the will of the majority of those who could actually be bothered to vote (
but that's another issue!). My point was that I really think that all the reasons used earlier which, we were told, made it impossible for ATSAs and ATCEs to vote no the first time are unchanged now. The only difference is that the ATCOs have managed to squeeze some more money out of NATS, and naturally you want some, too. However, the majority vote of your colleagues was in favour of the first offer, and I think that now to renege on that and ask for more is a pretty indefensible position in employment law.
I for one never ran down the importance of the work that others do to support the ATCOs, so I take offence at your suggestion that I do. To put it simply: I feel for you in your position as individuals, but this whole mess is due to the way your branch of the union have handled it. Good luck in trying to get out of it now, and I'm happy to wait for my money while you are doing it, but I wouldn't hold your breath. An extra 2% in Dec 2003 is 2% you didn't vote for the first time round (although like our 1.8% at the same time is I think ammunition which management will use against us in the 2004 pay round). It's not parity, but it's an improvement.