Is the 3am start the actual start time of a shift on the roster, or do these people get paid from 10pm?
Yes and no, in that order.
Do the people who start at 10pm go home at 3am? Are they paid for the rest of the night?
IF the traffic situation permits, a couple of them MIGHT get away. And no, their pay is not docked. Why should it be? Do firemen only get paid when ever there's a fire? I refer you to my previous messages as to why the traffic levels are only partly predictable.
As for your complaining about how tough it is sleeping when you work shifts, forgive me if I don't show much sympathy. Lot's of people work shifts and get paid a fraction of what you do.
I wasn't asking for your sympathy, I was just suggesting you try it sometime before making crass statements. You may also be interested to know that 'Shift Disturbance Allowance' makes up a small fraction of my pay, probably about 5%. That payment covers not just night shift but other shift elements like weekends and evenings. Oh, and here's the rub - if I was working in a non-operational job I would receive Non-Operational Supplement which is, surprise surprise, almost exactly the same as the Shift Disturbance Allowance. In effect, I'm not getting paid a penny more for shiftworking. And no, I'm not complaining about it, I mention it just to highlight another flaw in your argument.
I'm sure you will come back with more 'evidence' that ATCO's are a bunch of slackers and I'm happy to let you have the last say. However, I will say to any independent observers out there, do you trust the word of an ATCO with twenty years shiftworking experience with, admitedly, a vested interest or someone who bases his arguments on what he overhears in the canteen and who has, almost certainly, a huge anti-ATCO chip on his shoulder?