Leaving the union after this pension and pay fiasco. Tired of being lied to and paying for it monthly as well! We need stronger representation, our union have been too close to management for a long time. Joining GATCO instead.

But, as has been stated elsewhere, GATCO is not a union not is it a substitute for a union. However, I'm sure GATCO will welcome you. I've been a member for 46 years.

I am well aware GATCO is not a union. Since I don't feel I'm being represented by my union anyway, I may as well save a bit of money and see what GATCO membership offers.

As has been said before, at least GATCO membership fees can be claimed back from HMRC; wonder why Prospect membership can't.
Several years ago, Prospect suddenly raised membership fees for those on salaries over (I think) about £35K and I worked it out as an increase of some 15% when inflation was about 3%. I'm not sure there's any point remaining a retired member of Prospect, although retired membership of GATCO still brings some benefits.

How does one go about 'claiming back' Gatco membership fees from HMRC??

I'm in the process of doing my self assessment return for 2012-13, and every penny counts!

I haven't been sent the SA form for about 10 years thank goodness, but there was a section entitled something like 'necessary expenses' or 'membership of professional organisations'.

Tax Relief
 

As some folks have expressed an interest in becoming members I just thought I'd point out the new GATCO website is now live with the appropriate membership application forms.

Spamcan

GATCO Membership
 

I left GATCO several years before leaving the UK. It appeared that most of the subscription was spent on affiliation to IFATCA and sending the same group of delegates to various IFATCA junkets (sorry I should say conferences) leaving hardly any funding left to support regional events.

GATCO has reinvigorated the regional structure over the last few years, a process that is ongoing. The Guild sends lots of people to work on IFATCA's behalf (and therefore on UK's behalf too), quite often funded by IFATCA. Any member wishing to volunteer some time to help out with either regional or IFATCA work (or any other work!) would be met with open arms! I personally view membership as very worthwhile, as a way of having input into the future of my chosen profession, as a way of keeping in touch/up to date with developments nationally and worldwide, and as an insurance policy in the event of a court-inducing incident (£250,000 worth of insurance!)

I concur with jpwelton. Even though I retired from NATS several years ago, I still attend a CAA Working group on behalf of GATCO.

An interesting point. Why does GATCO have a representative? Does that not mean that some factions get two bites of the cherry?

2 s

Nope; the Guild represents the professional voice of atc. By two bites I guess you mean either Prospect or NATS sending a rep to the same meetings? Prospect acts from a trades union pov (though they do have a memorandum of understanding with Gatco so we consult and work with each other where we may 'overlap'). A NATS rep would be expected to push the NATS line, which as a ppp ansp may not be entirely aligned with the controllers' professional views...

The group I attend has reps from NERL, NSL, SERCO and Safeskys but not Prospect.

Just a note of caution; ATC knowledge and expertise dates very quickly. A body consisting of well-meaning "used-to-be" controllers may not be best placed to influence modern policy and practice which exists in an environment of constant change and development. I find that the Union is the best voice for my concerns and I am disappointed with the view that the Union will back the employer's line.....this has never been my experience in 33 years membership dating back to IPCS, IPMS etc.
I respect the Guild and its members, and the work that they do....but don't knock the Union...despite the odd moan from some quarters the Union has done a good job overall in the face of difficult circumstances.

I think the poster two above you may take issue with that comment...

055166k,
But surely 'the union' is run by managers and 'management wannabe's'?

Prospect does a superb job in looking after the interests of those people based at Swanwick, Heathrow and Gatwick and I wont hear a word said against their representatives.:D

Agreed Prospect looks after the bigger units but it does little for the smaller units like Farnborough and Southampton.

Nobody said Prospect would back the management line. If anything, surely it's their job to oppose it? My point was that Prospect attends meetings in order to protect (and hopefully enhance!) our terms and conditions (at a very basic level.) Thier remit is not, as an 'off the top of the head' example, to ensure military controllers' views with respect to a raised harmonised european transition altitude are heard, or to look at the interaction between GA and joiners and leavers of the airways structures.
I couldn't agree more that atc is fast moving, technologically and socially (SESAR JU has a social pillar, for example). The implication that GATCO is staffed by out of date people is completely out of date. We now send mostly current operational people as our reps, drawn from units all over the country.
Both organisations do good work (and lots of it!) in difficult circumstances (I'm a member of both, and don't understand how people can't see the difference in what they try to achieve - the idea that you should have to choose which one to join is downright daft!)