Fed up of waiting

[form49]

Has anybody heard any rumours as to when we find out who it will be, the last one I heard was for Monday of this weekm that's been and gone, I'm fed up with the waiting now and just wish they'd get on with making the announcement so then we can draw the battle lines good and proper

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Turn left heading 230, close from the left, report established

[BEXIL160]

I assume that you mean the announcement of who egts the NATS PPP Contract?

The only RUMOUR that I heard was 21st March, next Wednesday, but the timetable seems to be very fluid as far as Two Jags is concerned.

Anyone know better?..... (okay, okay there are Lots of people who know MUCH more than I ever will

[Lew Ton]

The last I heard (not sure how, now) it was to be the 16th. Oh Gawd, that's today! http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/eek.gif

[screaming_vectors]

Check out the IPMS ATCO's website: www.atcos.co.uk (http://www.atcos.co.uk)

The closing date for final offers from the bidders is the 16th March. The Government will select the strategic partner on the 20th March.

Not sure when we'll get to hear about it though.......

[Steep Approach]

How about this from Todays Guardian...

Labour likely to call off Nats sale
Special report: transport in Britain

Keith Harper
Guardian

Friday March 16, 2001


The government was last night poised to abandon the controversial £500m sale of Britain's air traffic control service, Nats, until after the election.

A final ministerial decision has to be made next week, but unofficial sources at the Department of Transport said yesterday the government was running out of time if it planned a May 3 election. The sources said it was probably too late for the deal to go ahead.

New factors suggest the decision to delay the project has already been taken. The two organisations still left in the bidding are to re-submit their bids today, and the government has decided to wait until the end of March to hold a debate on the issue.

It is due to take place in the Lords, where Lord Macdonald, the transport minister, promised a three month moratorium on the sale last December. A debate has been provisionally fixed for March 29, several days after the prime minister would have informed the Queen of his intention to hold a May election.

Given this provisional timetable, it would be virtually impossible for the government to complete the sale by the start of April. It would face considerable criticism for trying to push such an unpopular measure under the wire.

The final bidders are management utilities company Serco, and the airlines group, consisting of firms such as BA, Virgin Atlantic and BMI British Midland.

Neither bidder is ideal. Serco faces safety questions from a consultative group appointed by Nats to advise it about the qualifications of bidders. The airline group, backed by the controllers as a last resort, faces considerable costs running Nats.

The government could also face a strike by controllers during the election campaign. Staff are upset by the planned sale, which they believe is unncessary and a threat to safety; a strike would be embarassing for Labour.

Nigel Griffiths, Labour MP for Edinburgh south, has created new disquiet among MPs by asking ministers how many staff will take early retirement if Serco is selected as Nats' strategic partner.

Sources from the controllers' union, IPMS, said yesterday that 20% of staff were threatening to leave the industry immediately if the Serco bid proved successful.

[slurp]

heard that SMG were meeting today to be told who...and that the news would be released in a few days...(so they can buy shares in the group that won?)

[Mahaba]

The madness of this all is more evident now than ever before, when the decision is kept so closely under wraps and so secretively hidden from the people who really matter-us.
It all saddens me; our working lives will never be the same again. Do the gov't not realise that, after the sale, if it all goes wrong and its apparent as it is to us NOW that this is all a mistake there is no going back?
Don't give up people. I wish at some point that common sense would shine through. Best of luck to us all.
p.s. to all the EGCC frustrated pilots; honest guys the taxiways annoy us as much as they annoy you.