Sydney Airport ATC’s call in Sick, flights cancelled.
Was it a genuine bout of sickness or was it a organisational error dressed up sickness in a PR campaign?
The point is though that you shouldn't have to. When you look at the fees being paid for a ATC service they can at least staff it properly, and that includes some sort of standby system.
The point is though that you shouldn't have to. When you look at the fees being paid for a ATC service they can at least staff it properly, and that includes some sort of standby system.
Similar problems this side of the ditch. Been on going at one location at least, so not just a one off event, from what I've heard. Have to wonder how it comes to this. It has the appearance of profit over service.
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: YXXX
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Oh yeah fatigue is messed up. If we're too tired to work, we still have to drive to work and be fatigued at work. Or... we can stay home and have it count towards our sick leave (go get a cert from Dr), which at set intervals of days taken get reviewed in meetings with line managers. No pressure there!!
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Australia
Posts: 44
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Service unavailability would probably have to do with the fact that the tower roster has relied on about 3 people doing overtime a day for the last 18 months. Are you expecting people to be slaves to the organisation and come in on their days off during the holiday season where people with families would rather spend time at home with their families?
If you want someone to blame, look squarely at management. This sort of short staffing will get worse (and potentially far worse) before it gets better. Tower simply has not been training enough people to cope with attrition, and to add to that lots of potentially amazing opportunities are opening up all over the world (cough Hong Kong) that are offering better pay, better conditions and an experience that Sydney just cannot offer. Combine that with ASA no longer taking international recruits because of government policy, and the extremely high failure rate of the college (a few adds in seek wont help) and you have a stick of dynamite ready to go off. Overtime lengthens the fuse, but how long can you honestly expect someone to work with only a 1 day break. A man isnt a machine, people need down time.
Fact: Sydney Tower has had a number of retirements in 2017 and 2018.
Fact: Sydney Tower roster is running at high levels of overtime.
Fact: Not all missing shifts on the Sydney Tower roster have been covered by overtime, a large number have been marked as "no replacement available".
Fact: In 2018, there was more than 1,000 days of overtime worked by staff in Sydney Tower.
Fact: In 2018, there was more than 8,500 hours of overtime worked by staff in Sydney Tower.
There will be others putting forward alternative facts.
As Duane said "This sort of short staffing will get worse (and potentially far worse) before it gets better."
Join Date: Nov 1998
Location: UK
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What shift pattern is being worked, that gives only one day off in ten? The UK ATCs at most units operate a 5 team system on a 10 day repeating roster, with a legal limitation of controller duty hours. They have had that since 1996, is Sydney ATC not operated with similar conditions.
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Age: 70
Posts: 213
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What shift pattern is being worked, that gives only one day off in ten? The UK ATCs at most units operate a 5 team system on a 10 day repeating roster, with a legal limitation of controller duty hours. They have had that since 1996, is Sydney ATC not operated with similar conditions.
What shift pattern is being worked, that gives only one day off in ten? The UK ATCs at most units operate a 5 team system on a 10 day repeating roster, with a legal limitation of controller duty hours. They have had that since 1996, is Sydney ATC not operated with similar conditions.
The roster pattern is based on two sets of rules, Principles of Rostering (or Hours of Work) that defines the length of shifts, the number of hours between shifts, the minimum and maximum number of shifts in a block of shifts, the minimum number of hours between blocks of shifts. These rules are listed in the Enterprise Agreement (Industrial agreement). Sydney Tower has blocks of shifts that contain 3, 4 or 5 shifts in a row, and it is the overtime shifts that could mean an ATC might work 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or even 10 shifts in a row. A combination of regular and overtime shifts. At 10 shifts in a row, then the ATC must have a day off. Once again these rules are listed in the Enterprise Agreement.
Overlaying the Enterprise Agreement Principles of Rostering (or Hours of Work) is another rule-set, well actually two sets of FRMS rules. One set of rules must be applied when a roster is published (the Strategic rules) and another set of rules that need to be applied when allocating overtime or initiating changes to a published roster (the Tactical rules).
The Enterprise Agreement rules of a maximum of 10 shifts in a row has existed for about 30 years and pre-dates NATS legal limitation of controller duty hours by nearly a decade. What hasn't happened is that the maximum 10 shifts in a row rule should have been brought back incrementally to 9, 8 or even 7 shifts in a row.
Unfortunately the Australian ATC system is heavily reliant on individual giving up their day off to cover short term and long term absences (and in some cases, training and projects).
And, the Enterprise Agreement also dictates that an ATC only has to give 2 weeks notice to resign (it takes roughly 2 years from when HR places the advertisement in seek.com until the person is licensed to work in ATC).
Maybe but I’ve been hearing that for 25 years and the day automation takes over is still touted as “about 10years away.”
Too many variables for automation to handle at the moment, that’s not to say it will never happen but tasks that require judgement are roles that computers struggle with and humans excell at. It may be easier, and there appears to be more appetite for, automated aircraft but I’m not sure the flying public will ever buy that one.
Too many variables for automation to handle at the moment, that’s not to say it will never happen but tasks that require judgement are roles that computers struggle with and humans excell at. It may be easier, and there appears to be more appetite for, automated aircraft but I’m not sure the flying public will ever buy that one.
I don’t know how, but what is needed is an industry wide response to how aviation is changing. Pilots, cabin crew, engineers, ATC, ground staff, baggage handlers, all getting flogged more for less pay, more time away from family and less time off. Days off are no longer for recreation, they are simply recovery from the ever increasing duties forced on us by morons with blue ASIC’s. We all get ruined whilst a select few walk away with millions. Aviation is not a profit Centre, it is a means of public transport.
How can this happen?
How can this happen?
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Dunda
Posts: 159
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
At least they’ll have jobs for plenty of Change Coordinators in the mean time.
I worked in a shift system that necessitated a lot of overtime to make it work. There were always those that said yes, and those that said no. The ones that said yes made a lot of money, which is why they said yes (apart from some professional pride in maintaining the service they were trying to provide). Eventually, enough of even those people said no. The company then couldn't provide the service, suffered operationally (thus financially and reputationally), and they cracked and employed more staff.
If ATC are expected to work 3 of their 4 days off and you want that to change, say no to the overtime. Has to be everyone though, because as long as enough keep saying yes (which appears to be the current situation), things won't change.
If ATC are expected to work 3 of their 4 days off and you want that to change, say no to the overtime. Has to be everyone though, because as long as enough keep saying yes (which appears to be the current situation), things won't change.
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Deepest darkest Africa
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The core problem.
The problems that AsA currently have around sufficient staffing can be traced back to one thing - entrenched government policy.
As a government owned entity the politicians expect AsA to return a profit every year, preferably growing year on year. AsA's stated organisational goal is the safety and expedition of Australian air traffic and the people who work on the front line are absolute disciples when it comes to that stated aim. Unfortunately politicians and the supplicant upper management who do their bidding see AsA as a profit center rather than a collective of professional individuals doing their best to keep the travelling public safe and moving. Expecting a safety organisation to continually return a profit by cutting resources is not consistent with maintaining best practice or building a motivated and professional work force.
The only answer is to move toward the model of Nav Canada which is a non profit, non share holding company with aviation experts dedicated to ensuring world's best practice in everything they do. The proof is in their results. Since 1996 they have moved from being a malfunctioning government department to the world's leading ANSP. Removing the stifling government bureaucracy has released the power of innovation and invention and NC now sells ATC equipment and software to ANSP's around the world, including to AsA. In addition NC are in the process of launching shoe boxed sized satellites into orbit with Space X and once operational these satellites will enable WASS and ADSB coverage across the globe at a fraction of the price it is now.
Nav Canada fund their operations from a floating fee on on every domestic and and outbound international flight ticket. The Canadian public don't mind if it goes up slightly (which it hardly ever does due to NC's other revenue streams) because they know it funds the safest airspace in the world.
Our government cannot continue to keep pulling the rubber band of safety in this country and not expect it to eventually snap. The notion of 'affordable safety' is a misnomer and something government flunkies roll out to a public who don't really want to know how their airfares stay so low. The model is not sustainable and is only held together by the dedicated men and woman staffing the towers and radar screens, flying the planes and maintaining the ageing equipment. Sadly there are other individuals who will seek to exploit and profit from this dedication to safety. This must end.
As a government owned entity the politicians expect AsA to return a profit every year, preferably growing year on year. AsA's stated organisational goal is the safety and expedition of Australian air traffic and the people who work on the front line are absolute disciples when it comes to that stated aim. Unfortunately politicians and the supplicant upper management who do their bidding see AsA as a profit center rather than a collective of professional individuals doing their best to keep the travelling public safe and moving. Expecting a safety organisation to continually return a profit by cutting resources is not consistent with maintaining best practice or building a motivated and professional work force.
The only answer is to move toward the model of Nav Canada which is a non profit, non share holding company with aviation experts dedicated to ensuring world's best practice in everything they do. The proof is in their results. Since 1996 they have moved from being a malfunctioning government department to the world's leading ANSP. Removing the stifling government bureaucracy has released the power of innovation and invention and NC now sells ATC equipment and software to ANSP's around the world, including to AsA. In addition NC are in the process of launching shoe boxed sized satellites into orbit with Space X and once operational these satellites will enable WASS and ADSB coverage across the globe at a fraction of the price it is now.
Nav Canada fund their operations from a floating fee on on every domestic and and outbound international flight ticket. The Canadian public don't mind if it goes up slightly (which it hardly ever does due to NC's other revenue streams) because they know it funds the safest airspace in the world.
Our government cannot continue to keep pulling the rubber band of safety in this country and not expect it to eventually snap. The notion of 'affordable safety' is a misnomer and something government flunkies roll out to a public who don't really want to know how their airfares stay so low. The model is not sustainable and is only held together by the dedicated men and woman staffing the towers and radar screens, flying the planes and maintaining the ageing equipment. Sadly there are other individuals who will seek to exploit and profit from this dedication to safety. This must end.
Our government cannot continue to keep pulling the rubber band of safety in this country and not expect it to eventually snap. The notion of 'affordable safety' is a misnomer and something government flunkies roll out to a public who don't really want to know how their airfares stay so low. The model is not sustainable and is only held together by the dedicated men and woman staffing the towers and radar screens, flying the planes and maintaining the ageing equipment. Sadly there are other individuals who will seek to exploit and profit from this dedication to safety. This must end.
Can you quote a single “government flunky” who’s used the phrase “affordable safety”?
In any event, the inescapable fact is that we get the level of safety we are willing to pay for, and there is no such thing as limitless money or perfectly safe.
When an organisation expects more and more to be done by fewer and fewer people whose dedication and professionalism is being exploited, that’s not a consequence of the concept of “affordable safety”. That’s just the bog-standard combination of managerial short-termism, opportunism, greed, incompetence etc. I do not intend to be offensive to all the dedicated and professional ATC and support staff out there but - sadly - they are part of the problem. While ever they allow themselves to be exploited, they will be.
Unfortunately the Australian ATC system is heavily reliant on individual giving up their day off to cover short term and long term absences (and in some cases, training and projects).
