I’m not joking sir –
The payment of anything to ATSAs has always been a contentious issue, as has the provision of career development combined with properly organised, professional training programmes. The licensing issue will again bring this to the fore, because it will be inevitable that ATSAs who are required to become ATSA OJTIs/LCEs or whatever the job title is called, will expect to be paid something if they are going to take on additional tasks above their normal remit.
This will be regarded as especially relevant if this new task has any form of accountable safety implications attached. So, even if the licensing issue is accepted and introduced, and, as the OJTI/LCE positions would (presumably) be voluntary – who’s going to volunteer to do the job if there is no additional payment for doing so, as per our ATCO colleagues?
If licensing is introduced, it follows that part of the package must be NATS’ acceptance of the requirement to pay those ATSAs involved in OJTI/LCE tasks – anything less is only going to inflame the “us and them” syndrome, and turn ATSA opinion away from what is fundamentally a very positive step forward with regard to safety and standards of service.