ATC industrial actions in Iceland
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ATC industrial actions in Iceland
The Icelandic Air Traffic Controllers Association (ICEATCA) went on a 4 hour strike last Wednesday. Negotiations have been ongoing since November last year with very little progress. The company ISAVIA (and Keflavik Airport) is not negotiating directly with our union but are fronted by SA-Confederation of Icelandic Employers (www.sa.is) which is like a Union for the private employers in all Iceland. But yet ISAVIA is a government owned corporation with only one stock holder namely The Icelandic Government. So far the SA have only offered 0% deals with chance to have ICEATCA trading in some of the overtime-related payments in order to get a raise on the base salary. Some of the offers the SA made have actually been sub zero!
The first strike was last Wednesday, on the 10th of March, and lasted 4 hours from 7:00 in the morning till 11:00. 4 more strikes had been called in; Friday(12th of march), Monday, Wednesday and Friday next week. Altogether 5 strikes, each 4 hours long. ICEATCA immediately offered a waiver on each strike in order to give full service to all ambulance and emergency flights and also for the Oceanic Airspace so the crossing traffic transiting over the north Atlantic would not be affected.
There was a turning point in the dispute last Thursday. The Icelandic Government and the Parlament was summoned on an emergency meeting in order to enforce a law which would ban ICEACTA either to go on these planned strikes or even its constitutional right to go on a strike altogether! The results from this threat was that, just minutes before the law was put up for voting, ICEATCA cancelled the next 2 strikes (last Friday and next Monday) in exchange for a promise that the Government would make sure that there will be some pay increase offered. ICEATCA is still waiting for the next meeting to be announced but still no news. No law has been enforced yet to ban ICEATCA to go on strike but it has been threatened by most politicians both from the government and the opposition that another strike by the ATCOs will not be tolerated.
Until 1 month ago the negotiations had been about trading overtime related extras for base salary raise resulting in 0% cost increase for ISAVIA in the years 2010 and 2011 compared to 2009. Then trying to push some small % to compensate somewhat for the massive increase in cost of living that resulted from the financial crisis which rates to OVER 30% on average. At that time, one month ago, the Icelandic Airline Pilots Association (FIA) made a deal with Icelandair who are also fronted by the SA. Since the SA is also fronting ISAVIA in our negotiations ICATCA claimed the same base salary rise as was negotiated by SA to FIA. This was turned down by SA and they even refuse that there was any raise offered to FIA even if we presented a copy of the FIA contract. This raise has been calculated and published by Iceland’s leading newspaper to a total of 6%, affecting from November 2009 until January 2011.
The last negotiation meeting was held last Friday soon after the cancelled strike would have ended. At that meeting there was no new offer presented by the SA.
So now ICEATCA is faced with the threat that new laws will be enforced here in Iceland which will ban any further strikes, either for a specific time or ban ATCOs strike altogether. This is without including in the law some guarantee for future pay increases! How that will affect further negotiations is quite clear: We would be forced only to accept what would be offered in the future! We could have something to say about it but nothing more.
There is an ATC staff shortage occurring here in Iceland already with the need for overtime rising steadily. ATCOs working active ATC duties are now numbering 78. Over the last 3 years 11 ATCOs have resigned, 3 to take on new careers but the rest moved to ATC jobs abroad. The fall of the Icelandic Krona is unbelievable. The Krona rate drops ranges from 60% towards the GBP to a staggering 140% towards JPY leading to about 95% drop in average!! This means that for the moment the average ATCO’s monthly gross earning (with no overtime) is LESS THAN 4.000 EUR! (ATCO with 20 years experience.) This has pushed many to apply for ATC jobs abroad. So far 8 have moved to Norway, Sweden, Germany and the United Arab Emirates (mainly Abu Dhabi). About 6 more ATCOs have applied or are going to apply for jobs in the mentioned countries or Swiss or Austria. The majority of the controllers have experience that ranges from 8 to 24 years. This is leaving a huge gap in ATCO staffing which will cause problems in the future.
There will be no surprise that if this law will be enforced against the right for ATCOs to go on strike and if no offers will be made for pay increases, more ATCOs will move to take on ATC careers abroad. This would widen the ATC staffing gap already in place since companies abroad are generally limiting new ATCOs contracts to have 5 years experience and -40 years of age with some exceptions to -45. The Icelandic Government is apparently not concerned about this at all even though this will result in severe understaffing with unforeseen consequences for the ATC profession in Iceland.
The first strike was last Wednesday, on the 10th of March, and lasted 4 hours from 7:00 in the morning till 11:00. 4 more strikes had been called in; Friday(12th of march), Monday, Wednesday and Friday next week. Altogether 5 strikes, each 4 hours long. ICEATCA immediately offered a waiver on each strike in order to give full service to all ambulance and emergency flights and also for the Oceanic Airspace so the crossing traffic transiting over the north Atlantic would not be affected.
There was a turning point in the dispute last Thursday. The Icelandic Government and the Parlament was summoned on an emergency meeting in order to enforce a law which would ban ICEACTA either to go on these planned strikes or even its constitutional right to go on a strike altogether! The results from this threat was that, just minutes before the law was put up for voting, ICEATCA cancelled the next 2 strikes (last Friday and next Monday) in exchange for a promise that the Government would make sure that there will be some pay increase offered. ICEATCA is still waiting for the next meeting to be announced but still no news. No law has been enforced yet to ban ICEATCA to go on strike but it has been threatened by most politicians both from the government and the opposition that another strike by the ATCOs will not be tolerated.
Until 1 month ago the negotiations had been about trading overtime related extras for base salary raise resulting in 0% cost increase for ISAVIA in the years 2010 and 2011 compared to 2009. Then trying to push some small % to compensate somewhat for the massive increase in cost of living that resulted from the financial crisis which rates to OVER 30% on average. At that time, one month ago, the Icelandic Airline Pilots Association (FIA) made a deal with Icelandair who are also fronted by the SA. Since the SA is also fronting ISAVIA in our negotiations ICATCA claimed the same base salary rise as was negotiated by SA to FIA. This was turned down by SA and they even refuse that there was any raise offered to FIA even if we presented a copy of the FIA contract. This raise has been calculated and published by Iceland’s leading newspaper to a total of 6%, affecting from November 2009 until January 2011.
The last negotiation meeting was held last Friday soon after the cancelled strike would have ended. At that meeting there was no new offer presented by the SA.
So now ICEATCA is faced with the threat that new laws will be enforced here in Iceland which will ban any further strikes, either for a specific time or ban ATCOs strike altogether. This is without including in the law some guarantee for future pay increases! How that will affect further negotiations is quite clear: We would be forced only to accept what would be offered in the future! We could have something to say about it but nothing more.
There is an ATC staff shortage occurring here in Iceland already with the need for overtime rising steadily. ATCOs working active ATC duties are now numbering 78. Over the last 3 years 11 ATCOs have resigned, 3 to take on new careers but the rest moved to ATC jobs abroad. The fall of the Icelandic Krona is unbelievable. The Krona rate drops ranges from 60% towards the GBP to a staggering 140% towards JPY leading to about 95% drop in average!! This means that for the moment the average ATCO’s monthly gross earning (with no overtime) is LESS THAN 4.000 EUR! (ATCO with 20 years experience.) This has pushed many to apply for ATC jobs abroad. So far 8 have moved to Norway, Sweden, Germany and the United Arab Emirates (mainly Abu Dhabi). About 6 more ATCOs have applied or are going to apply for jobs in the mentioned countries or Swiss or Austria. The majority of the controllers have experience that ranges from 8 to 24 years. This is leaving a huge gap in ATCO staffing which will cause problems in the future.
There will be no surprise that if this law will be enforced against the right for ATCOs to go on strike and if no offers will be made for pay increases, more ATCOs will move to take on ATC careers abroad. This would widen the ATC staffing gap already in place since companies abroad are generally limiting new ATCOs contracts to have 5 years experience and -40 years of age with some exceptions to -45. The Icelandic Government is apparently not concerned about this at all even though this will result in severe understaffing with unforeseen consequences for the ATC profession in Iceland.
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The stated fact that ATCs are leaving Iceland in droves suggests to me that this particular problem will fix itself, all thanks to the wonderful free market, regardless of what governments or unions have to say about it.
Generally speaking, if your employeer is not willing to pay you what your job is worth, you should switch employers. If you choose to stay then you're trading money for convenience and/or "job security". If this is your preference, I've no objection to that but you can't both have the cake and eat it.
So Iceland doesn't want to pay its ATCs, and as a result, they're striking or leaving. I don't support strikes as a matter of ideology, but fine; this is just the free market in action. Doesn't take a genius to figure out that if this continues then Iceland will have an even greater shortage of ATCs. And so the govt of Iceland will either have to offer better terms or live without ATC.
Any guesses as to what they'll choose? Let's just say I wouldn't want to live on a tiny, cold island in the ocean with no regular air traffic! Let's just hope the politicians figure this out before that happens.
Generally speaking, if your employeer is not willing to pay you what your job is worth, you should switch employers. If you choose to stay then you're trading money for convenience and/or "job security". If this is your preference, I've no objection to that but you can't both have the cake and eat it.
So Iceland doesn't want to pay its ATCs, and as a result, they're striking or leaving. I don't support strikes as a matter of ideology, but fine; this is just the free market in action. Doesn't take a genius to figure out that if this continues then Iceland will have an even greater shortage of ATCs. And so the govt of Iceland will either have to offer better terms or live without ATC.
Any guesses as to what they'll choose? Let's just say I wouldn't want to live on a tiny, cold island in the ocean with no regular air traffic! Let's just hope the politicians figure this out before that happens.
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@w2k,
I couldn't agree more.
The only real problem is if you don't have ability to move from one job to another,regardless the reason. Than it is the problem.T&C aren't ok but anyhow you must be there,i.e there is no option to join other team.
Anyhow Iceland colleagues aren't in such position,which is quite good for them.
I couldn't agree more.
The only real problem is if you don't have ability to move from one job to another,regardless the reason. Than it is the problem.T&C aren't ok but anyhow you must be there,i.e there is no option to join other team.
Anyhow Iceland colleagues aren't in such position,which is quite good for them.
