:ugh: i was told january 2010
is autumn breaking news?

Hear ye: Hear ye.......:ugh:

If this were in the NATS Forum, then I'd bet there would be a free and frank discussion which would 'educate' those in Ivory Towers or centres .......I for one won't enter this debate on an open forum (washing dirty linen in public).

It's not really fair to compare moving to Scotland with those who are being let out of HMP West Drayton on remand and relocated to the Old Folks retirement home on the south coast!

SAATS
 

with the introduction of SAATS the new Oceanic flight data processing system next tue (18 nov) evening.

Ummm I is confused! Well - more so than normal :\ Coz my calendar says Nov 18 2006 is a Saturday. Maybe it will be live whenever Nov 18 falls on a Tuesday? :E

GM at Scacc says "O" date Jan 2010. :yuk: Now, he will be retired by then ( unless he stays on to 65 ! ), so its no skin off his nose to predict such a date.
Now does that mean the FIR will be open, and not forgetting the canteen, or all sectors fully operational ? :zzz: :zzz: :} .
Personally I would take any date with a pinch of salt !
NATS managers have a track record of incompetence when it comes to "O" dates,(remember Swanwick) and other things too numerous to mention! :confused:
Watch this space.........
:} :}

As i said SAATS is being introduced on tue evening 21 nov not sat the 18

......Why?

What if the ATSA in question is over the cut off age for ATCO training?
I agree opportunities do exist within NATS to specialise, but you are still at the mercy of a promotion board and if you are no good at presentations or interviews (despite being the best candidate for the job) you have little chance.
What if the ATSA in question neither has the money or the time to do further training outside of NATS?

I think your response EITS, is a touch simplistic and a tad arrogant.

Rant complete, getting back to the original point of this thread, with SACTA now delayed (upto five years I've heard) and the company saying they may need to retain ATSAs to keep NODE operational, what are people's thoughts on a MACC ATSA being posted to NPC and then a few years down the line being laid off when SACTA comes online?

I for one believe that a relocation package should be included in any redundancy deal to allow the laid off ATSAs to relocate back to their place of origin.

Ayr,

Firstly, there is none due to recent Age Discrimination legislation.

Secondly, ATSAs are deemed to have 'relevant aviation experience', and so there never was an age limit for them.

Surely if you aren't good at presenations and interviews you aren't the best person for the job? :confused:

QUOTE
a touch simplistic and a tad arrogant.
UNQUOTE

maybe.... (and sorry for the duff gen on Autumn vs Jan 2006. Slight slip of the keyboard).

My point remains: there are several alternatives, some of which you listed in your opening post. If you don't like any of those, you have several years to find another one, maybe outside this industry, which might involve a little time and financial commitment on your part. How many workers at other companies too numerous to mention have that luxury when a decision is made to rationalise, cost-cut or whatever you call it? If you don't want to or feel unable to take that opportunity, don't moan at what you end up with.

Nobody owes us a living!

Gasp! You mean working for NATS isn't a job for life?! No one told me :ooh:

BD

Ali Bongo, this is an issue that really infuriates me and a lot of others I know. There is one instance I know about where there were several good candidates for a post that required a computer literate person in the very least. The person who was successful couldn't work a calculator! He then upset all of his staff in his charge, sucked upto management and got promoted. That what I call being progressive!

So, no AB, as a MORI poll would put it, I strongly disagree.

[quote=Gonzo;2971031]Firstly, there is none due to recent Age Discrimination legislation.

[quote]

Happy to hear this Gonzo. I hope reality bears the same ideal as the law!

It does, actually. I have personally interviewed a candidate who was over the now abolished age limit, and he gave one of the best interview performances I've seen.

Absolutely, but you did make the alternatives sound all too easy. When you are faced with this reality, it is much different from imagining what it must be like. I agree the ball is in our court in deciding our future but we do have an obligation to ourselves (and our families) to campaign for fair severence terms as would any ATCO in the same position!

A final point. When your in aviation, it seems impossible to get a job outside of aviation. Competition for jobs in aviation is fierce. Or, perhaps I am just no good at presentations and interviews!:uhoh:

Aaaargh!!!! SEND ME TO THE TOWER!!!:{

At Swanwick there is an VN for atco 1 local area supervisors, and apparently they are not getting the "right" kind of people because the "right" kind of .
people will not go through the hoop jumping exercise that the rest of us have to go through for non-atco jobs. So no problem!, they remove the hoop jumping and just go to the old styled interview because they need the "right" people. If this equitable?, I think not but then in nats "all employees are equal, but some are more equal than others" to paraphase George Orwell. One further thing I was recently asked if I had considered applying for a cadetship, I replyed that I would "rather put my **** in a vice" Oh! by the way I am fifty next month!!!!!

Nurse, the vice please:\

Just out of interest will you be still be getting paid your ATSA pay while at the college or have you had to take a drop to the 10k salary the abinitios ar eon. Also how di you apply for the cadetship - did you go through your unit management or direct to HR