Contract negotiations in NZ
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Contract negotiations in NZ
I heard from a little birdy that the contract negotiations with Airways have gone somewhat sour in recent days and that the negotiations team have headed off to "talk to the members" - never a good sign of progress. Watch this space aah ! Not long to go on the industrial action clock either - things could get really interesting. 
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Your little birdy is quite correct!
NZALPA have just concluded a series of workplace meetings and its fair to say the troops are rather upset.....especially as the only thing keeping our system operating over the last couple of years of serious staffing shortages has been the goodwill of the controllers.....
As the conditions of employment at Airways continue to slip behind the rest of the real world, the negotiators were looking to improve the package by about 10% (not all in money either) which the controllers thought to be rather restrained approach.
Airways management, who appear to have now lost all touch with reality believe that the only way to achieve such an improvement is for its controllers to sell a number of current conditions. In general they would like it if its controllers worked about 15% more, while being far more flexible with their rostering practices.......Airways did say however that they could afford to meet all the negotiators claims but just didn't see the value to their business in doing so.
The situation has been compounded by some very bad press that the controllers received over the last couple of weeks about the closure of some units to enable meal breaks to be taken. This came about as a result of an ammendment to the industrial law in NZ which requires meal breaks to be rostered and taken. A number of the solo watch towers were unable comply without closing, hence some spectacular headlines in the papers...all blaming controllers! Airways management failled to act on this issue, or defend its controllers (in fact they did a bloody good job of putting their heads in the sand) until the very last minute........
It is becoming clear that our current management have "lost the plot" and discussions are underway on how to deal with them.
If you are out their in ATC land considering a move to "the land of the long white cloud" you need to be aware that things are likely to get worse before they get worse........If you want to work for a real ATC provider and can't stand the heat in the middle east then I suggest you take a look at OZ, Ireland, Germany to name but a few currently looking for staff. The bonus is that wherever you go you'll end up working with kiwis (because we've lost a lot of real good controllers here and it looks like more are about to follow).
Watch this space for further updates.......
The Rottweiler
NZALPA have just concluded a series of workplace meetings and its fair to say the troops are rather upset.....especially as the only thing keeping our system operating over the last couple of years of serious staffing shortages has been the goodwill of the controllers.....
As the conditions of employment at Airways continue to slip behind the rest of the real world, the negotiators were looking to improve the package by about 10% (not all in money either) which the controllers thought to be rather restrained approach.
Airways management, who appear to have now lost all touch with reality believe that the only way to achieve such an improvement is for its controllers to sell a number of current conditions. In general they would like it if its controllers worked about 15% more, while being far more flexible with their rostering practices.......Airways did say however that they could afford to meet all the negotiators claims but just didn't see the value to their business in doing so.
The situation has been compounded by some very bad press that the controllers received over the last couple of weeks about the closure of some units to enable meal breaks to be taken. This came about as a result of an ammendment to the industrial law in NZ which requires meal breaks to be rostered and taken. A number of the solo watch towers were unable comply without closing, hence some spectacular headlines in the papers...all blaming controllers! Airways management failled to act on this issue, or defend its controllers (in fact they did a bloody good job of putting their heads in the sand) until the very last minute........
It is becoming clear that our current management have "lost the plot" and discussions are underway on how to deal with them.
If you are out their in ATC land considering a move to "the land of the long white cloud" you need to be aware that things are likely to get worse before they get worse........If you want to work for a real ATC provider and can't stand the heat in the middle east then I suggest you take a look at OZ, Ireland, Germany to name but a few currently looking for staff. The bonus is that wherever you go you'll end up working with kiwis (because we've lost a lot of real good controllers here and it looks like more are about to follow).
Watch this space for further updates.......
The Rottweiler
I suggest you take a look at OZ
http://www.pprune.org/d-g-reporting-...-shortage.html
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Airways Management Head in the Sand
Rotty
I see nothing has changed in the frozen wastelands.
It's about time that Airways realise that they have one of the most money efficient rostering systems in the world and that getting any % increase out of rosters would be like getting blood out of a stone. One of their HR people (who has recent Middle East experience) can tell them what rostering is like away from the land of the long white cloud.
The value to the business in improving pay and conditions is that Airways might actually stop the flow of staff overseas. Why would you want to return to earning NZD when for every EUR, OMR, 10AED you save it gives you 2.5 to 4.5 NZD in the pocket?
ATC is now a global market - time to pay global rates. But that would mean the CEO would have to share his salary band with the people who earn the money
I see nothing has changed in the frozen wastelands.
It's about time that Airways realise that they have one of the most money efficient rostering systems in the world and that getting any % increase out of rosters would be like getting blood out of a stone. One of their HR people (who has recent Middle East experience) can tell them what rostering is like away from the land of the long white cloud.
The value to the business in improving pay and conditions is that Airways might actually stop the flow of staff overseas. Why would you want to return to earning NZD when for every EUR, OMR, 10AED you save it gives you 2.5 to 4.5 NZD in the pocket?
ATC is now a global market - time to pay global rates. But that would mean the CEO would have to share his salary band with the people who earn the money
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A number of spots are available here in Bahrain between now and Xmas folks...... all the more the merrier (have a yak to safety Mike as I believe he's still 'in country').
Re QN has PLJ finally hung up his headset?
Good luck
Pete
Re QN has PLJ finally hung up his headset?
Good luck
Pete
Re Qn
PLJ still here....
There is no CC in QN, just a manager and 2 senior controllers.
What I think reynoldsno1 is refering to is the departure of the Senior Controller Ops...
PLJ still here....
There is no CC in QN, just a manager and 2 senior controllers.
What I think reynoldsno1 is refering to is the departure of the Senior Controller Ops...
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ZKJAWS my boy...sorry for replying to your post earlier but have been busy fighting some bush fires (of an ATC kind)!
Some controllers who are fed up with the autocratic management style in Aunty Airways decided to write a letter to the CEO expressing the view that they had "....lost confidence and trust in Airways management.......". This was not done by NZALPA (the union) and was not directly as a result of the current stalemate in negotiations. It was a two page letter explaining the frustration that controllers feel about where their profession is being taken by the current crop of BBA'S (thats the Best Brains of Airways). It gave an undertaking to provide full details of all the "issues" that were causing the frustration and was looking for a similar undertaking from the CEO to set up some sort of forum with NZALPA to work throught and hopefully resolve some if not all of these "issues".
The letter was written and available for any or all controllers in the Main Trunk Centre to sign. After 2 days it had about 60 signatures (total staff around 130-140). The letter was just being sent out to all the other units when a controller made Airways aware of what was happening!
Talk about "lighting the blue touch paper and standing well clear".....Airways management and in particular the Airways negotiators entered low earth orbit. They refused to meet with NZALPA and negotiate until the letter was withdrawn (so much for that open door policy). NZALPA approached the controllers who wrote the letter and explained Airways reaction. The controllers agreed to withdraw the letter so that negotiations could continue (to go nowhere)
but they are keen to continue with it in a revised and updated form if and when negotiations ever finish.
According to NZALPA, Aunty Airways was only worried about what would happen if the letter and all those signatures ended up with a Sunday newspaper
A certain BBA wanted to interview all those that had signed the letter and I don't think it was to talk about any of the "issues"!
So the last 2 days of negotiations were a bit of a wipe out and the CEO's desire to have this all sorted by the end of April is starting to look like just another "on time and under budget" Airways snafu.
Hope things are going well for you in the emerald isle, and will keep you updated with our lack of progress......Cheers
Some controllers who are fed up with the autocratic management style in Aunty Airways decided to write a letter to the CEO expressing the view that they had "....lost confidence and trust in Airways management.......". This was not done by NZALPA (the union) and was not directly as a result of the current stalemate in negotiations. It was a two page letter explaining the frustration that controllers feel about where their profession is being taken by the current crop of BBA'S (thats the Best Brains of Airways). It gave an undertaking to provide full details of all the "issues" that were causing the frustration and was looking for a similar undertaking from the CEO to set up some sort of forum with NZALPA to work throught and hopefully resolve some if not all of these "issues".
The letter was written and available for any or all controllers in the Main Trunk Centre to sign. After 2 days it had about 60 signatures (total staff around 130-140). The letter was just being sent out to all the other units when a controller made Airways aware of what was happening!
Talk about "lighting the blue touch paper and standing well clear".....Airways management and in particular the Airways negotiators entered low earth orbit. They refused to meet with NZALPA and negotiate until the letter was withdrawn (so much for that open door policy). NZALPA approached the controllers who wrote the letter and explained Airways reaction. The controllers agreed to withdraw the letter so that negotiations could continue (to go nowhere)
but they are keen to continue with it in a revised and updated form if and when negotiations ever finish. According to NZALPA, Aunty Airways was only worried about what would happen if the letter and all those signatures ended up with a Sunday newspaper
A certain BBA wanted to interview all those that had signed the letter and I don't think it was to talk about any of the "issues"!So the last 2 days of negotiations were a bit of a wipe out and the CEO's desire to have this all sorted by the end of April is starting to look like just another "on time and under budget" Airways snafu.
Hope things are going well for you in the emerald isle, and will keep you updated with our lack of progress......Cheers
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Rotty
Sounds like it's same old same old in the Land of the Long White Cloud.
Maybe the BBAs should be upgraded to MBA's (Mini Brains of Airways) - but then that might mean a holder of such a title would be without a job (just like the last crop Aunty Airways had). Restructuring the company so that you don't have a job wasn't a good move
Hope Aunty is not expecting an early return of the nomadic Kiwi controllers - just heard of at least one who is going to stay away for yet another year or more (the money is too good to give up in the current economic climate).
The Emerald Isle is grand
Thanks a million for the update
Sounds like it's same old same old in the Land of the Long White Cloud.
Maybe the BBAs should be upgraded to MBA's (Mini Brains of Airways) - but then that might mean a holder of such a title would be without a job (just like the last crop Aunty Airways had). Restructuring the company so that you don't have a job wasn't a good move
Hope Aunty is not expecting an early return of the nomadic Kiwi controllers - just heard of at least one who is going to stay away for yet another year or more (the money is too good to give up in the current economic climate).
The Emerald Isle is grand
Thanks a million for the update
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"This was not done by NZALPA (the union) and was not directly as a result of the current stalemate in negotiations... set up some sort of forum with NZALPA to work throught and hopefully resolve some if not all of these "issues"."
This sounds like a dangerous move during contract negotiations. Writing a letter not endorsed by NZALPA asking Airways to work out issues with NZALPA, and potentially marginalising the efforts of the negotiators by illustrating that there is a split in philosophy amongst the NZALPA members (only 60 signatures on the letter). No one needs to tell you the importance of staying united during negotiations Rotty.
BTW, if NZALPA doesn't endorse the letter, who was going to meet with Airways to resolve the "issuses"?
This sounds like a dangerous move during contract negotiations. Writing a letter not endorsed by NZALPA asking Airways to work out issues with NZALPA, and potentially marginalising the efforts of the negotiators by illustrating that there is a split in philosophy amongst the NZALPA members (only 60 signatures on the letter). No one needs to tell you the importance of staying united during negotiations Rotty.
BTW, if NZALPA doesn't endorse the letter, who was going to meet with Airways to resolve the "issuses"?
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Number Last, you have read a bit too much into what I said and filled in a few areas where I had to be careful about what I said......
Dangerous, possibly only for those that penned the letter!
It only achieved 60 signatures due to its very short life span, had it been allowed to run its natural course over a couple of weeks it would have easily gained in excess of 300 signatures.......not sure how this would show some BBA a split in philosophy?
Make no mistake about it we are more United than the airline in the US.....
The letter was to bring to the attention of the CEO that there are a number of "issues" that the current contract negotiations will not cover or resolve because they are outside the scope of our contract! I understand that NZALPA were happy for these non contract issues to be raised and dealt with using the procedure outlined in the withdrawn letter!
I guess you needed to see the letter to understand.....but Aunty didn't want that!
The Rottweiler
Dangerous, possibly only for those that penned the letter!
It only achieved 60 signatures due to its very short life span, had it been allowed to run its natural course over a couple of weeks it would have easily gained in excess of 300 signatures.......not sure how this would show some BBA a split in philosophy?
Make no mistake about it we are more United than the airline in the US.....
The letter was to bring to the attention of the CEO that there are a number of "issues" that the current contract negotiations will not cover or resolve because they are outside the scope of our contract! I understand that NZALPA were happy for these non contract issues to be raised and dealt with using the procedure outlined in the withdrawn letter!
I guess you needed to see the letter to understand.....but Aunty didn't want that!
The Rottweiler
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A Return to 95/96 Tactics???
Is this a return to the Airways Tactics used in the 95/96 negotiaions?
"Airways Corporation "shared" $1.1 million with its staff in the 2007-08 year.
Parliament's transport and industrial relations committee today released its financial review of the State-owned enterprise, which showed it returned a net operating surplus after tax of $10.55m. From that, it paid the Government a $6m dividend.
"It also shared $1.1m of its surplus with staff," the committee's report said.
The corporation employs 681 staff, according to its website."
$1.1m divided by 681 staff = about $1615, or $970 after tax for a controller and $1275 after tax for an office worker
No mention of how much money was given back to the airlines.
"Airways Corporation "shared" $1.1 million with its staff in the 2007-08 year.
Parliament's transport and industrial relations committee today released its financial review of the State-owned enterprise, which showed it returned a net operating surplus after tax of $10.55m. From that, it paid the Government a $6m dividend.
"It also shared $1.1m of its surplus with staff," the committee's report said.
The corporation employs 681 staff, according to its website."
$1.1m divided by 681 staff = about $1615, or $970 after tax for a controller and $1275 after tax for an office worker
No mention of how much money was given back to the airlines.
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"$1.1m divided by 681 staff = about $1615, or $970 after tax for a controller and $1275 after tax for an office worker"
Isn't that just a function of the tax laws in New Zealand though?
Isn't that just a function of the tax laws in New Zealand though?
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"Isn't that just a function of the tax laws in New Zealand though?"
Yep - and another function of the tax laws and pay in NZ is the continual movement of ATCOs westwards.
Yep - and another function of the tax laws and pay in NZ is the continual movement of ATCOs westwards.