Profits of £106.1m, up from £78m last year - yet the company are scrimping and saving on staff costs and using the economic climate as a thinly veiled excuse.

The lies and spin emitting from the company at the moment are nothing short of an insult.

President George W Bush said "You can fool some of the people all of the time and thats the people you want to concentrate on" perhaps that is the mantra of the management negotiators.

They certainly fooled some of the ATCOs.....well, the majority of them actually.

Mr. Mills has done very nicely for himself there. Is that for bringing in EFD on time?

It's for taking on "extra responsibilities" apparently, Zooker.

If the dividend payout was 6% instead of 8% (which is still a very good %). that would free up £10m for pay rises.

SR71Blackbird, I wouldn't reply to that if I was you, he might "take a screenshot" and "report you" to Lockheed's security division, or the CIA or something like that.

SR71, The thing about pay rises is that it's not just £10m this year, it's every year in perpetuity.

That's why they are so important.

And that's why £10m won't pay for them... :ugh:

You say that like there's no money for them anyway?

So we should never have a pay rise in case the company makes a smaller profit next year?

This is exactly the issue.

The company continues to drive efficiencies to save costs - not to survive, but in order to increase profits and pay larger dividends.
Employees should not be fooled into thinking they should accept less in order to help keep the company afloat, protect difficult airport contracts etc... There is clearly significant enough profit margin being made to allow a deal to be driven on those contracts without it coming out of the employees' pockets.

don't believe the hype, believe the facts shown in black & white in the accounts.

I had the great good fortune to be speaking to some of the lazy and greedy ATSAs who man the London FIS yesterday. Their frequencies were extraordinarily busy and they appeared to be working for hours on end like one armed paper hangers and yet all done with great professionalism and courtesy.

Any news on what's happening with ATSS's negotiations. It's all gone very quiet....?

The Chief Executive's blog has said there is no more money available...

It must be true then.

"Well, he would say that wouldn't he"

Mandy Rice-Davies
Profumo Scandal 1963

Ah, but who will be the modern-day 'Christine Keeler'? :E
And which ATC unit will provide the chair? :}

No idea what the ATSAs are planning but rumour is unless we get parity with the flip-flop brigade the engineers will be looking at an overtime boycott and a work to rule.

Maybe a few weeks of flow will persuade Richard to look down the back of the sofa.