Oh, Woody, where do I start?
The problems of shiftwork and replacing sick workers are NOT unique to ATC
Certainly not. However, there are very few employers setting out to run a safety-critical operation with insufficient staff numbers to the point that they RELY on overtime, and lots of it, to keep the doors open.
your local plumber is just as stuffed if his apprentice fails to show for a two-man job as is your local TCU
When the local plumber makes a mistake because he is tired, what are the ramifications?
any nurse who's ever worked in a public hospital is well familiar with what overtime really means
That'd be voluntary overtime, right? As in,
different to what AsA requires, right?
any fire fighter or police officer or ADF member can probably have a few things to say about cancelling days with the family or missing a game of golf.
It's not about missing the
odd family day- it's about missing
every family day, because you get harassed to attend
a lot (my record was 7 phone calls for different overtime shifts on a rare weekend away, after informing them that I would be away for the weekend).
unlike RAAF ATCs, are free to resign at the drop of a hat
And they do... which is mind-boggling that anyone would resign from such a good job. I think most would agree the issue is not with the job itself (I don't know anyone who doesn't love
the job ), the issue is with the
employer.
I'm a shift-working controller and I earn triple what my shift-working ER nurse wife does, for half the hours
That's just outright bull$hit. Then again, so is muddying the waters on what the thread is about.