NATS Staff leaving
 

I have noticed over the past two or three years many NATS staff, particularly members of the ATSA and engineering grades leaving due to redundancy, early retirement or other reasons.

These members of staff have been the backbone of the CAA and NATS for many decades.

I suspect, although I may be wrong that these hundreds of people have left NATS without any kind of acknowledgment or even thank you in the official methods of communication such as Airway, Pulse, or whatever it is called nowadays.

I however, have worked with quite a few and I would like to personally thank them for their comradeship, camaraderie, professional skill, and true friendship that has continued to this day.

Never a day goes by that I thank my lucky stars that I was allowed to be a member of such a team of great people.

Tony Fallows
Cheshire

Your paragraph 3 has it about right. I remember a controller leaving after 38 years, during which he had taken only 5 [yes..FIVE] days sickness........just walked out of the door......loved and respected by colleagues.......just a number to the "suits".
I miss your Hawaiian shirt selections that brightened up the day, but not your knees..........live long and prosper. rgds Coach

Yep, all I got from HR when I left was a memo reminding me to hand in my pass and headset!!! At least the people I worked with, including my Watch Boss, did considerably better. Years later I discovered that nobody had told LATCC management that it was my last day.... Echoing what Tony said, the 31 years I spent at Heathrow and LTCC were the best working days of my life among the very best people on this earth.

The day I walked out of LATCC after 32 years, my TC Manager & my watch manager both refused to come down the pub for a drink. They said it would not be appropriate.

B*st*rds. I will never forget that.

Clint. Gurry.

Better off without d*ckheads like that anyway.

Clint
We worked with each other LATCC early eighties, glen ATCA D Watch then 64 ATCO Cadet.
That is disgusting, I left NATS after 10 years and my then boss acted very much the same told me that I would never work for NATS again, three weeks later I got a thank you letter from HR thanking me for my 10 years and if I ever want to work for NATS again give them a ring!!

All I want is a lump sum and the REGULAR payment on the first of the month, the rest you can shove.

When I left LATCC in 1980 prior to going to H&I, the Centre Superintendent, Keith Mack asked for me to call in as he wanted to wish me luck and say goodbye.

Different sort of managers in those days, dare I say Clint ,because most of them had started their careers in the military - people like Norman Whitelock, John Saker, Bert Harding etc.

The managers from No 2 cadet course onwards have in the main been selfish and frightened of their own shadows.

Mr_Grubby aka Clint

As you know I resigned from NATS in 1995 and went overseas, this after 28 years and 200+ days. The top LATCC managment were very good offering me the option to come back and straight in at my previous level if the overseas contract didn't work out. Couldn't fault them. Good guys. Both Mr D and Mr L.

The down side was the local watch management as in Mr Wobbley and his Masonic colleagues who were frankly pathetic. Having a masonic handshake and/or big tits were guarantees of promotion.

Also, in my letter from HR they couldn't spell my name correctly. This after 28 years. Again pathetic.

Not quite sure that I agree with Brian 48nav re managers from No 2 Cadet course onwards. I would suggest from No 6 course onwards.

Cheers:ok:

P.S. NATS then were an OK outfit to work for but as obwan says: "All I want is a lump sum and the REGULAR payment on the first of the month, the rest you can shove".

Brian, I had the same thing in 1985 when I left for LL. It'd be unheard of now...

Norman Whitelock was my first Watch Sup at Heathrow. A real gent who could do every job in the ops room from Supervisor, through the radar positions, to ATSA. Watching him strip bashing to get an ATSA away on an EG was something to behold.

When I left my then boss - Dave Rushton - came to the pub and delivered a very interesting and amusing speech for which I was very grateful.

When I left after 39 yrs 8 mths, all I got was a photograph of the control tower(which I wouldn't even take inside my house), followed some 2 months later by a 'good luck' card.
Absolutely nothing from management even though I'd offered to stay on as I knew they'd be short of experienced/validated staff(they agreed but on their terms which were not my terms) and according to what I hear, they're still short of staff so it's their loss.

Some guys out of the ATSA/ MSG grades went out to Dubai in the last year, so some folks escaped Nats not just for retirement or voluntary redundancy but for career reasons.

A general trend is that Nats has not replaced anybody who left and consequently the ones left behind are doing more work with less pairs of hands to help!:ugh:

40 years man and boy in NATS and when I left in November no management said thank you.

The people who did were the AC bods, controllers and assistants, that I had worked with over the years and for that I was very grateful. The important people said thank you, as for the others, I couldn't give a toss, they don't.

David Reavell

I'm one who left and the 'business' couldn't afford to replace the 2 in my dept who left, 1 who went to a different dept and 1 vacancy never filled. It's very interesting working for a different company :ok:

BD

Yes they do, they also after 25 years treat you and your partner to a posh night out at a posh hotel with other folk in the same boat......The only problem for me is by the time they brought in the Hotel night package I had already passed my 25 years so missed out on the deal. :{Despite a few attempts on our Intranet site to whinge about missing out on that ( those that know me will tell you whinging is my favourite pastime):E I am still waiting my invite.:*

To be honest when I leave if no one from Management says goodbye well that will be their loss and not mine....:rolleyes:the one thing about the job is the people you work with and I can honestly say the operations folk in NATS in general are some of the best.....:ok:characters one and all and my life would have been a lot sadder if I had missed out on the life I have had. :cool:

When I left, after three and a bit years of service, I remember the boss calling me into his office for a chat. He said I could either resign or have my contract terminated.

I was told by my GM to find another job.I'm an ATCO with 32 years experience,more than capable of maintaining currency etc,and was treated like something that the dog vomitted on the floor.
So I just walked out,and let them get on with it.I'm away from all the C:mad:p,and back in ATC with another employer who treats me like a human being.
I hear that my old NSL unit has had more people leave,and the roster is falling to bits.Oh dear,what a pity,never mind.:{

TAD...... Where are you now?

I just think that it is rather sad that a whole group of employees numbering in their hundreds are leaving NATS and that it does not rate a mention in the staff newspaper as it is the end of an era.

I wonder if the editor is Professor Pangloss?