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Old 28th Nov 2006, 21:41
  #101 (permalink)  
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when somebody finds the perfect job - please post here first by all means.
When studying at University I worked in school holidays as a Beach Inspector (lifeguard) on the Gold Coast. Got paid to sit on the beach (and do the ocassional rescue). Seemed near perfect at the time.
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Old 28th Nov 2006, 22:51
  #102 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by TrafficTraffic
My main question for anybody that was thinking of joining would be what is AsA's motivation? After a round of job reductions in Non-operational areas it was suggested that the ATCs and other operational staff were the next to go through a rationalization process and now we are looking at recruiting from overseas - doesnt make any sense.
TT
The GM of ATS was given the mantra to reduce numbers by 200 when all the ADMIN staff were getting the bone. He said, yes he would, did nothing, then slowly and subtly let projects get going (such as genesis, SDE, ADS-B etc.) all with the backing of the CEO, then slowly the message went higher that this project stuff doesn't have legs due to low ATC staff numbers.

But we are making still making cutbacks in ATC, just ask the lads/gals in Sydney about the coffee club; saving the big dollars $1K per annum at a time. (2 Deliberate sick days, not that that would ever happen , = the total amount of money spent on coffee and tea in the whole year. Managing the big issues there, nice work, NOT!)
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Old 28th Nov 2006, 23:19
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Originally Posted by SM4 Pirate
But we are making still making cutbacks in ATC, just ask the lads/gals in Sydney about the coffee club; saving the big dollars $1K per annum at a time. (2 Deliberate sick days, not that that would ever happen , = the total amount of money spent on coffee and tea in the whole year. Managing the big issues there, nice work, NOT!)
Don't know the full details of this Sydney Coffee saga, but the rumour mill had me wondering why Sydney is a special case if other units/centres have to fund there own beverages???
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Old 29th Nov 2006, 01:17
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Originally Posted by 5miles
What a load of cr*p. Never felt pressured into accepting overtime except out of my concern for my colleagues. Nothing to do with management overlords.

As for social cliques, no different to any other workplace.
5miles... only get my info on the Centres secondhand.

Is it no longer the case that controllers cop a formal interview when their total amount of overtime accepted over the year is particularly low? Is it true that one controller received a series of formal interviews in regard to his availability for overtime? Don't know how old the information is and it could no longer be the norm.

As for social cliques... yes, there is no difference to any other large workplace environment... but there is a palpable difference in culture between the Centres and the remote TCU/Towers.
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Old 29th Nov 2006, 04:32
  #105 (permalink)  
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Is it no longer the case that controllers cop a formal interview when their total amount of overtime accepted over the year is particularly low? Is it true that one controller received a series of formal interviews in regard to his availability for overtime?
Never heard of this happening.

One controller in Moreton Group (BN/CG APP) never, and I mean never, accepts ADs. We have controllers in other groups that have done less than 5 ADs in as many years.
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Old 29th Nov 2006, 04:54
  #106 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Quokka
Is it true that one controller received a series of formal interviews in regard to his availability for overtime? Don't know how old the information is and it could no longer be the norm.
Even if this was true, then the experience of one controller out of hundreds could hardly be considered the norm.
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Old 29th Nov 2006, 08:01
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As somebody who has worked in Oz and elsewhere, I'll pass on a few tips for prospective employees, without all the crap everybody else is going on with.

Firstly, register with ASA's recruitment section. Then identify the location and the manger of the unit you want to go to, and then apply for a job thru them. I had applied for 6 months with the recruitment section but heard nothing. Within 24 hours of touching base with the managers in Bris and Melb, I had 2 job offers. Be careful where you apply to go, because transfers between locations in ASA are almost unheard of. The managers guard their staff numbers like their first born.

Secondly, the money is adequate for an upper-middle class lifestyle. You wont get rich, and you wont starve. The government will tax you like you wouldn't believe, and still expect you to pay for things you thought were government provided. You can supplement your income by doing overtime, but that will be taxed at roughly 40%. All said and done, you should have enough money unless you have 2 wives and 8 kids. There is an outstanding retirement fund. Leave is generally good.

Thirdly, work conditions are good. The traffic levels are moderate and it is more about discerning who gets what service and implementing quirky rules. The only time it gets really busy is when there are thunderstorms. Apart from a couple of sectors, radar control is a qasi-procedural control with the radar used to supplement situational awareness. It is frowned upon to use your knowledge and judgement too much in the radar environment. Some may say that there is a heavy handed approach to performance management. There is a tendency to squash all the shifts into a short amount of time, which suits some and not others. The union is strong and the fees reflect this, but to be fair the fees do include loss of licence insurance.

The outdoor lifestyle here is second to none. Even in the cooler climates, there is plenty to do outdoors. However if you are from Britain and Europe you will not be able to experience the same pub or cafe culture and sense of community in Oz unless you move to a small country town or right in to the heart of the inner-city. Over 90% of the population lives in vast tracts of mundane suburbia, the type that inavariably ends up located close to airports and ATC centres.

Come to Oz if you crave the outdoor lifestyle, or have a partner who is from Oz and wants to return, or if you come from a country in which you no longer want your kids to grow up in.
Dont come to Oz if you are looking to enhance your career, cant put up with half-wit managers or just because you reckon it'll be just like Neighbours.
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Old 29th Nov 2006, 08:06
  #108 (permalink)  
 
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That just about sums it up tonto.
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Old 29th Nov 2006, 08:48
  #109 (permalink)  
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I agree - pretty accurate.

Not too sure about the Neighbours part though.

What ever happened to Bouncer?

TT
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Old 29th Nov 2006, 08:53
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Tonto has summarised the reasons those elsewhere will come, as well as the reasons those who are here will want to leave to go elsewhere.

The differential is probably time - and the perspective that provides/alters.
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Old 29th Nov 2006, 14:23
  #111 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by tonto papadopolous
All said and done, you should have enough money unless you have 2 wives and 8 kids.
I guess that rules out most of the ex ASA guys here then.
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Old 29th Nov 2006, 14:37
  #112 (permalink)  
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Originally Posted by coral
Piss off.
It's the bonus driven lunatics who cut back the asylum numbers in the first place who let the side down. Don't pin it on the eyes-hanging-out-of-their-heads controllers who just need a day off to avoid falling asleep driving to work on yet another day off.

Heh. Go and re-read that post in the context it's been posted Mr Potty-mouth.

You accept an overtime in advance, then call in sick for it on the day.......YOU have put the hole in the schedule that has to be filled again (and we could start a tangent discussion regarding would some managers do a callout/can they do a call out). You don't accept the shift in advance, somebody else probably will.

Try and keep up Coral
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Old 29th Nov 2006, 22:59
  #113 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by 5miles
Don't know the full details of this Sydney Coffee saga, but the rumour mill had me wondering why Sydney is a special case if other units/centres have to fund there own beverages???
We used to get free beverages everywhere; up until the early 90's maybe late 80's we still had tea lady's... Ahh the memories.

Sydney for whatever reason didn't develop it's own tea club (effectively BN and ML were forced to) and the management paid for the drinks; like at most TCUs, Towers etc; and most other ASA locations.

It's not that we have to pay now for a cuppa in Sydney, it's just the principle of the matter, and the fact that the free cuppa was withdrawn "at the direction" of upper management; when in fact the upper management couldn't give two hoots about it; the manager who supposedly passed the direction to the new TCU manager has openly admitted he did no such thing; he's far more concerned with the big picture.

It's not just that the decision is dumb (it is); it's the justification and sales pitch to 'sell the decision' which is dumber; but hey when you're riding a contract with 23% at risk (or more) you'll do what you can to get it. Even if this will be far more costly than the entire tea club costs 5 times over; that won't be noticed as a direct correlation as it's a different bucket.
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Old 1st Dec 2006, 04:15
  #114 (permalink)  
 
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Thank you Tonto for that. You've summed it up nicely for me and it looks like most agree.
I may just be playing devil's advocate but more staff being hired probably equals less overtime to the the rest = a good thing.
I might have missed it earlier in the thread but surely amount of hours worked is governed firstly by a Labour Relations Act and secondly by the Australian Civil Aviation Authority which is equal to or better than the prescribed hours? Only with special permission from the Commissioner are we allowed to work more than 20 out of 28 days. For those arrhythimically challenged it works out to two days a week off.
Oh and seriously, having to pay for one's own beverages is not a good enough reason not to come although that does suck.
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Old 1st Dec 2006, 05:05
  #115 (permalink)  
 
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BOK,

On both your points - no problem: we are the lucky country!

The government eliminated any fairness in the workplace with a 1500 page decree designed to placate the lobby groups for industry. It's an employers paradise! No Labour relations act to worry about.

And no need to worry about pesky limitations on hours on duty - we don't have any. CASA have even sent correspondence saying it is Airservices responsibility.

Conflict of interest? - Apparently not.

When asking about the maximum hours that can be worked at a console without a break you might get an interesting reply. (Technically there is no limit)

Last edited by Shitsu_Tonka; 2nd Dec 2006 at 05:19.
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Old 1st Dec 2006, 06:58
  #116 (permalink)  
 
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****su

Geez, thanks for that. It seems as if ATNS and the SA Goverment could teach your AsA a thing or two. I'm sure ICAO have reccomended laid down procedure for this sort of thing????
One would've thought that by now employers have figured out that when you can't compete on a salary basis then you offer better working conditions as in time off, free tea and coffee, etc, etc.....
There are more ways to retain your staff than to just pay them more.
The Joburg guys are going to shoot me down......
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Old 1st Dec 2006, 18:58
  #117 (permalink)  
 
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Hi all,

Been a while. Sipping a KWV while reading Bok2go(we met at the Vaal in 2000) last post made me think..........naaaaaaaaaaaa happy where I am, in the Sand at the moment,watching the 7's seeing the Ausies loose to Portugal!!!!

Like Lap Sap said the grass always "looks" greener, but let me tell you, the land of sand ain't half bad! BOK2Go come visit us here in the Sandpit, we might even have a place for A guy and Girl from Cape Town here.

PS :No one has tried to Hi jack,rape or rob me yet ! Not even the Sa government!
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Old 1st Dec 2006, 19:32
  #118 (permalink)  
 
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Jeez Dct No Speed, how long you been in the sandpit and you say,
No one has tried to Hi jack,rape or rob me yet
You're obviously not going to the right bars There are certain Russian and African ladies around town that will do all three at once, and you'll like it. Or so I hear

But have to agree with you that the sand pit is certainly worth strong consideration. Especially when you weigh it up against the taxes that you will pay in Oz. Big downside here though I guess is that if you are after a different passport to your SA one for the future, you won't get one here no matter how long you stay.
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Old 1st Dec 2006, 23:43
  #119 (permalink)  
 
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One would've thought that by now employers have figured out that when you can't compete on a salary basis then you offer better working conditions as in time off, free tea and coffee, etc, etc.....
All units I have worked in here have had brew clubs. Queries to the older workmates gave me the impression it was withdrawn due wholesale pilfering.

TANSTAAFL
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Old 2nd Dec 2006, 07:04
  #120 (permalink)  
 
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Hi AirNoServicesAustralia

Just re your tax post, we here are also paying around the 40% mark. The difference is here we don't get anything for it. We have to pay for our own security, very few households don't have armed response, any semi-decent public school is going to cost you an arm and a leg, University is out of the question, unless you're prepared to morgage your house or have a lot of savings put aside for it, bursaries are non existent unless you're previously disadvantaged. Public hospitals are a no-go-zone. They're dirty, do not have sufficient staff and even less medication. Hell, one of our provinces can't account for 18 billion rand of their budget. There are only 4 million tax payers carrying 48 million people.
So what's my point???? besides that I get nothing for my hard earned tax money????
Well, I've been to Oz. My family lives around Perth and things work there. Public area's are clean, you have a efficient police force, your State hospitals are in much better shape, your infrastructure works. Hell, for someone paying around the same amount of tax it seems like a bargain to me.

Someone PLEASE stamp this VISA.....
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