Is it true that someone was fired for having an incident at the airport?

That's what we heard in Dubai.....unlucky guy concerned was at ACC.:(

Must have been a close one to get fired. Is this a normal event in a contract environement that an incident can lead to dismissal? Cannot be a very stable working environment.

ME Reality
 

Groogle,

Welcome to the Middle East.

Always have a bag packed for a quick departure.

You can be fired for anything, anytime, by just about anyone :(

Thanks Rustynail. What is it like working in those conditions? I mean, are you always looking over your shoulder, can't be a very nice working environment? I suppose it is not bad for the single guys, but what about guys with wife and kids, you can't exactly take your kids out of school at a moments notice and ship them somewhere else :confused:. Call me old fashioned, but they make my employer look like an angel!

Is that why this thread has died down, guys are too scared to say anything?

RustyNail
Quote "Always have a bag packed for a quick departure".
Never was a 'Trullier' word spoken.

The UAE ACC MATCO and the SATCO have just been fired. Apparently they had the effrontery to write to the Regulator stating that the stripless environment (remember that was the one that the MATCO had not been consulted about and, after implementation, only found out about when he turned up for work) was unsafe and that they should revert immediately.
Stromboli & his puppet Pinocchio didn't agree and fired their arses.

As mentioned before it negates the concept of safety management and blows it out of the water!!!!!

It should be mentioned that the MATCO was the one who was insistent on having reinvented the wheel and was blowing hot on non punitive reporting. As you sow so shall you reap. Arrivederci - bambino di arrivederci

Addendum:
It is rumoured (fact, actually) that the FAA are going to downgrade the GCAA.
Now the question, if that happens, is how long can those two incompetent unqualified tossers (Stromboli & Pinocchio) last?
Not too many left to blame for incompetence, perhaps time to look in the mirror?

To infinity and beyond and, hopefully, back in time for a pint of Theakstones Old Peculiar.

P.S. Red Dragon, what say you now, apart from Ooops!!!

P.p.s. Guy, you don't speak French like a local. En cul

P.p.p.s. Bangkok was, as always, a hoot.

WOW
 

I have gone through this thread again and again. Is it really true about all those people being fired and resigning? Sounds like that old series called Dallas, except we do not know who has been shot? I mean, is there anyone who can corroborate what Mr Verci is saying? Surely someone is making this all up?

Hey Verci, I hear that Bangkok is only a hoot if you got hoodwinked by a lady boy :hmm:, was she, I mean he any good?

Hi Groogle
I take the wife with me to BKK and we meet up with some american chums (ex Reagan's children, i.e PATCO), one of whom manages a few bars in the 'Naughty districts').
Americano does the night life, I drink Theakstones & the wifey does the shopping, i.e. BeBo, Platinum, Pratunam, Siam Paragon, Centre World, etc.
Believe me, you get so used to naked ladies that you don't even notice.

Katoeys, lady boys are only for the innocent. Look for their Adams Apples and you will be ok!

Cheers:ok:

Courses for Horses
 

Hi groogle,

Yes, you look over your shoulder alot :(

Most of the time you just attempt do your job, cover your a***, and walk away clean at the end of each shift.

With the right crew on duty it is still challenging but very rewarding, I just took it one day at a time.

There is not an obvious safety culture and SMS is non-existent, those who raise safety concerns which counter the opinion of the "managers" are quickly "corrected", or as you have seen here, terminated.

So if your ok with that then it will make working there alot easier. I was not ok with that, and so I left. :ok:

Hey there.

Maybe off the subject but could anyone please PM me contact e-mail to Abu Dhabi ACC?
Also, another question - does anyone live in Dubai while working in Abu Dhabi? Is it possible or is it too far (and too much traffic) to drive back and forth every day?

Thanks in advance.

.
 

Check your pm's

ATC Contact
 

Hi
1. I was wondering if anyone can send me contact number for UAE ACC and Dubai ATC / Briefing office contact, with regards to VFR Flight plan phone number

2. I want to know what altitude & Range likely a transponder being picked up by Radar, I need information at what height the flying object with transponder can be detected

thanks

Contact Us

Try these numbers during UAE business hours 8-2:30pm GMT+4 Sunday to Thurs,
between us and the military we see everything on Radar :E

Hi, I was wondering if anybody knows if someone with only an ATC student licence, has any possibilites in taking up training at a tower in the UAE? Or are they only interested in ATCOs with experience?

You`ll need to have experience as competition for jobs is fairy stiff at the moment.

Any Jobs going in the ACC in UAE at the moment?
Any update on the GCAA package?

Will there be any recruitment in the next 12 months?
Is there a certain time of the year that they run courses?
What amount of enroute experience do you need?

Thanks guys!!!

Dubai or AbuDhabi ?
 

Vodafone - if you are looking at Dubai your enroute experience will not count much. Here its tower and Approach. Recruiting now depends on people leaving as most of the places have been filled up. Courses are run according to needs not to a schedule. Your nationality matters when it comes to selection.See older posts for this. Cheers!

UAE ACC Jobs!!!
 

Any Idea how many vacancies there are at the mo, with the advertised posts on 10th Dec?
When could you expect a course to be run???

Cheers guys.....

Jobs in UAE
 

I heard that they were fully staffed...they were just getting a bank of CVs so that they don't have to entertain the thought of a pay rise from the current guys.

Back to Square 1
 

Simply - NO MONEY..........

2 years in a row..... it seems like 'Back to the Future'.........

People tend to forget what happened in the past, where RETAINING or even ATTRACTING ATCOs for Dubai was very difficult!

Always keeping in mind the YEARLY Increase in Passenger figures & Aircraft Movements...& not just last year, but it's YEAR AFTER YEAR, & BOTH Dubai Airports & Emirates Airlines BOASTING on the increase in figures & MOSTLY on their Profits!

Greed???

In the meantime, try to relax with your feet up & continue drinking your coffees!:*

Agreed! When you read every month how great things are and how movements, pax and cargo are growing at an unbelievable rate then all of a sudden "We`re not making any money so we can`t give you a fil but thanks for shifting all our new shiny jets" ain`t great for morale or retention.

Is that coming from GCA or Serco?

Guys and girls in Dubai. You are not going to get any pay rises until SERCO can't recruit staff. Whilst there is a pile of CV's on the managers desk, they have no reason to give pay rises.

This is what happened around 2005/6, 10 left one year 8 the next, short staffed, not able to recruit because the package was poor. SERCO go cap in hand to the DCA to re-negotiate their contract and then give the huge pay packet that your on now.

Its a fact and the way SERCO run things, just enjoy the cash, and when it becomes too hard to live leave!!! Its the old bucket of cash v the bucket of sh*t, when the sh*t bucket is over flowing time to leave!!!!

The fickleness of people never ceases to amaze me. Everyone was more than happy when the big payrise came in but now that there's no money around for ANYONE the whinging starts. Who hasn't heard of friends or friends of friends losing their jobs and their livelyhood during the last 18 months.

Try getting out there and comparing what you're on and the benefits you get and see how much sympathy you get from others in this city...or don't you have any friends outside of work? Then remember what you'd be left with back home after the mortgage and everything else.

Time to be grateful for what you have rather than exercising the one human feature that brought the city to its knees....greed. Everyone deserves to be rewarded for what they do, but a bit more 'big picture' thinking would go a long way right now.

Oh, and I'll think you'll find that it's not the way Serco runs things....it's any business. Supply and demand. Sure things fell behind back then and it got to meltdown stage, but look at where we are now. Maybe I'm wrong, but compared to a lot of people around here I'm pretty happy that I haven't got an axe over my head, I can pay the bills and live a pretty good life. And that's in the bad times.

It's also not the case that Serco doesn't need to award a payrise. One was applied for that was reasonable given the circumstances, but if DA aren't getting one and all departments are required to cut costs - how's a payrise gonna look?

:ugh:

I refer the honourable (?!) gentleman to the answer someone else gave a moment ago......

namely Not to mention the ever growing profits that Serco like to crow about!

Can't have it both ways.

p.s. How's that Sercocision scar coming along? :E

So for the guys in UK and elsewhere post 9/11 when the traffic figures dropped off and the airlines were suffering the controllers should have had a pay cut then?

As you say, can't have it both ways....but then you know it doesn't work like that old boy.

Ouch! :} Not really that far behind me, are you? :E

Point missed by quite some distance I fear Guy.

Due to cost of living increases a zero percent pay rise is in real terms a pay cut.

Not at all buddy. I completely agree. Kind of like the blatant lies about never allowing the same conditions to recurr when the last payrise came around - and that's before we start talking about accomodation allowances and associated rumours!

As I remember, I went without a payrise for something around 3 years at that point, with a minimal (and short-term) decrease in traffic levels (with continually increasing cost of living) - before a significant increase. Do you think they increased the salaries proportionately - not likely!

Regardless of the position you're looking from, I think that asking anyone to handle 30+ percent more traffic, (notwithstanding the greatly increased complexity re SJ and DWC) for the same salary as 2 years ago, while simultaneously crowing about best ever profits is, at best, shortsighted - we could all go a lot further. :ugh:

TTFN

Guy.

The justification for a payrise is clear and I agree with you, but that's not the point. A nil payrise may be what we end up with but it wasn't what Serco has requested. If we end up with nothing it's because there's no money to give, irrespective of how many more movements or passengers are moving through the airport. Deserving it and the abililty to pay it are two completely unconnected issues. Emirates are clearly making huge profits if they are to be believed, but we don't share in any of that and why should we? Is the airport making similar profits?..don't know and I don't think it's operated in that way either. Much of their funding comes from the ministry of finance and if they are asking for cost reductions across the board due to the extremely poor financial state of affairs (well documented) then what to do?

As I said before....a little big picture thinking would go a long way and try to accept that much of this is outside the control of the company that you so easily criticise when things are less than perfect. Anyone who's been around here for a while will know that things come around eventually and as with any industry you just have to ride out the bad times.

NOT Again.........
 

1 = Gone
2 = Going/Resigned
3 = 4-5 Leaving by year end??

It seems, what we have discussed here, is really a sign of 'RETENTION' being tackled carefully! Besides what has been discussed, regarding no payrise for the last 2 years, now people are really fed up & LEAVING!

Hopefully, this does not fall on 'deaf ears'.... we are literally going back to square one, as has been posted some time ago.....!

D-DANS has Resigned & is leaving.....

1 - ATCO GONE
2 - ATCO Resigned & going back home
3 - ATCO 5years + probably is leaving as fed up, especially night fatigue
4 - 3+ leaving by year end........

It's a pity, that Dubai is again losing & about to lose some dedicated staff, at a time when things are 'in place', but no sort of 'Retention' scheme in place.....

Hopefully, 'history won't repeat itself' with another mass exodus!

Everyone knows by how much traffic & passenger numbers have increased..but WE ALL KNOW how much MORE EXPENSIVE it has become living here. If it is no longer an attractive package, then for sure HISTORY WILL REPEAT ITSELF.......

Fingers X'd........ ENOUGH SAID!

From my experience the morale has dropped to pre-2008 levels. The traffic levels are such that it is pushing the limits of the system and it can been seen by the number of occurrences we get.

The Dubai shine wears off pretty quickly and we are here for the money. If it does not flow pretty soon, me and so many others are off. Hands tied we go!!

Patience, patience.........negotiations take time in this neck of the woods, especially when savings are being sought across all government departments.

It is tricky to ask for a pay rise when the whole of DA hasn't had one for the last couple of years and the entire airport is coping with the increased traffic levels.

Are terms and conditions that bad yet when compared to other busy ATS units? Who should we compare ourselves against? The big European airports are still shifting significantly higher volumes of traffic overall and our pay is comparable with many Europeans already. The allowances and tax free status also helps considerably.

There is a rumour that there may be some good news in the not too distant future.

ThirstyCamel - u sound exactly like my manager which I bet you are ... which makes me hopeful! BTW you cant compare to any European ATS unit or any other for that matter. We compare our salaries to what we would get at home which is what we are actually paid for - meaning if what we get here is not really good - we go home!

God bless rumours may they come true - SOON ! :)

Not to receive a payrise for two years in a row is disappointing of course and the rise in cost of living needs to be addressed, but I think that that in itself can generate a feeling of low morale. Making the decision as to whether it's worth staying here is an individual one and everyone has different circumstances. But I'm sure that for many, when it comes time to crunch the numbers it will nearly always make sense to stay on what we're on here. When you factor in the allowances that we're paid here, thereby affording us far greater disposable income, it usually makes the decision for you.
Getting pissed off with the place and leaving because we didn't get a payrise will only come back to bite you and once the harsh realities of living back in the home country start to kick in and the memories of what you used to be able to do here, it wouldn't be long before you reconsider and want to come back. I've seen it many times.

Aside from the Nationals of course, this isn't home for any of us and none of us have to work here. We're all mercinaries at heart and rightly or wrongly we're here for the money. Of course it's only part of the equation - there's family, kids and quality of life which may be better back home. The situation now is very different to the pre-2008 one. The cost of living has increased there's no doubt about that, but we're far better off now then we were then and for that reason I don't see a line of people queueing at the exit.

It is also 'TRICKY' that DA Personnel have 16% disc, whilst SERCO Personnel have only 10% disc on EK Travel......

Apart from this 'discrimination', IF EK really appreciate our services, then for sure this discount of 10-16% is definitely an insult!

Surprisingly other Carriers offer us better rebated travel, & besides this, EK DO offer much better rebated travel to ATC from OTHER ATC Units!

Will keep our fingers x'd, as 'it seems', that NOW DA Personnel are on the receiving end.... so let's hope that there will be no other new excuse for SERCO Personnel!

Taking into account the yearly inflation of approximately 8%, no pay rise for 2 years, with the constant rise in bills, I really wonder & hope if we can eventually receive a significant payrise!

And I agree PATIENCE PATIENCE PATIENCE..........Inchalla

Believe it or not, there are a few lined up for the 'EXIT'.....Rumors are rumors, but the reality is that people have left, resigned, and resigning slowly slowly.... Wouldn't it be ideal IF stability is retained, & move on towards all the long & short term projects, & actually recruiting staff to augment the present numbers, & not simply to replace those leaving???

There will always be a natural turnover of staff, no matter what's going on. How many of those that have left or resigned have done so purely because of not getting a payrise? Those that are threatening to resign - how many of them will actually be better off financially back home?

Looks like the payrise situation is about to change based on the High Commander's letter the other day.

As for the numbers, it doesn't quite work like that. There's a lot of transparency to the customer nowadays and carrying extra staff above what we actually need is difficult. There is a defined headcount down to the last person. Replacing staff that have left is pretty standard, having more staff than you actually need is not good business practice.

Holding my breath whilst emptying my wallet to make some much needed space for the 'Big-Day'...............:suspect:

C'mon - do you REALLY think you'll need any significant space in there? Dream on....